


Of Quest and Prophecy

by Archivus



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fix It, IN SPACE, Infinity Stones, SHIELD, Spoiler for Agents of Shield, Spoiler for mcu, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:14:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 35
Words: 130,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21778144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Archivus/pseuds/Archivus
Summary: Half of the population was decimated by Thanos. Those who were left behind struggled to move on. Time stopped for a while after the Avengers tracked and killed Thanos, but the worst had already happened. Everyone was left in despair.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The remaining active agents of SHIELD had gone missing without a trace a year after the Snap. People who were in the know knew that something must have caused their disappearance. There were news of strange occurrences prior to it but to others, everything was classified.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Five years had gone by and they found a way to reverse the damnation that had befallen them and in the end, Thanos was dusted along with his army. The world celebrated their success joyously. However, it did not come without casualties. They grieved and somehow feeling quite lost, not knowing how to let go of their regrets and sadness. Until one day, their trustworthy allies returned bearing a prophecy. At once, friends and family, lovers and allies all banded together to fix the flaws in their destiny.
Relationships: Maria Hill & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov, Natasha Romanov & Skye | Daisy Johnson, Skye | Daisy Johnson & Antoine Triplett, Wanda Maximoff/Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 235





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, I made Daisy younger. I also made a few changes to the characters, mainly their relationships because it won't happened in the movies or the TV show.
> 
> Anyway, it's a fix it fic because they killed off my favorite character in Endgame. 
> 
> This isn't beta-ed. Any errors are mine.
> 
> ~~~~~#####~~~~~

_2023_

No. This can’t be happening.

They confronted Thanos that came from the past. It didn’t matter what garbage he spouted. The fact that he committed a massacre didn’t justify his intention.

“If you really believed your own nonsense, then, you should just kill yourself. Why subject others to your belief?”

“This, whatever you think is right, is plain bullshit!” 

“I am inevitable.”

“No. You’ll be a purple vegetable soon.”

And thus, they fought. It was a tough battle. Nothing they did worked. Not even when Thor delivered a mighty lightning to charge Iron Man’s laser cannon. Or when Thor smashed Mjolnir using his axe like a tennis ball that barely made a dent in Thanos’ armor. Or when Cap used his shield. Nothing seemed to be working. Even when Cap was worthy enough to lift the hammer and looked like he might have a chance against the Mad Titan. It was all futile when even his shield was partially destroyed. Just like he claimed, Thanos was inevitable.

Thanos kept on spewing out his sad tale of why his plan was important. The trio ignored him. Iron Man even hissed that Thanos was just being a melodramatic bastard. While he continued on with his monologue, they were trying to find a way to kill this intergalactic psychopath. They were running out of options.

Thor even suggested that if Quake was here, she could probably manipulate Thanos’ molecules while the others distracted him. Thus maybe, he could be stopped. Heck, she could even stop hearts and shatter things by vibrating them on a molecular level like she did to the shrikes a few years back. But the inhuman was not here. The last time the Avengers heard from her was soon after she came back from space. They didn’t know what happened to her and her team, when they disappeared without a trace.

The situation turned worse when Thanos’ soldiers arrived. The trio was outnumbered. Hopelessness crept in. They needed a plan. However, none came forth. Still they never gave up hope. The fate of the world, hell, the universe was on their shoulders.

When everything was on the way toward despair, something magical happened. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Those who were killed five years ago were resurrected and appeared right there on the battlefield. Later, they learned it was due to Banner using the gauntlet, while Dr. Strange and his people brought the warriors to the war zone. Swiftly, hope filled everyone’s souls. They can do this. They have to. Failure was not an option.

“Yibambe! Yibambe! Yibambe!” Spurred on by the spirit of the battlecry of the warriors led by King T’Challa, they fought on, betting their lives for the universe. It was chaos all around. Everyone was fighting. They slashed, shot, kicked, punched and used anything they could get a hold on as weapons. Any tricks they had up their sleeves. But the enemy was overwhelming. There were just too many of them.

The soldiers were moving as forward as they could. Tried as they might, no matter how valiantly they fought, they were being pushed back. However, nothing held them back. “For Wakanda!” they chanted and they fought like never before. Definitely more desperate than five years ago. 

The Avengers were doing all that they can. Battered, bruised and wounded, still they forged on. What little injuries they sustained were ignored for they didn’t have any chance to rest. The number of the outriders didn’t diminish. In fact, they seemed to be increasing.

The Avengers along with the Guardians came to blows with Thanos’ army to buy time for Scott and Hope to work their magic on the time machine in the van for unknown reasons, though it was for naught when the wormlike creature smashed into the van and destroyed everything in it. They were barely able to get away from the mangled van. Seeing that their plan on using the quantum tunnel was done for, the couple relayed the message and returned to the fight scene.

To make matters worse, the Mad Titan’s flagship appeared in the sky and started to fire at the ground. Fortunately, they were saved by the arrival of Captain Marvel. She destroyed the spaceship in seconds. She then joined the ladies on the ground, trampling the aliens.

The lady warriors were running towards the enemy, united in front of the line. There was nothing as fascinatingly amazing how they zigzagged among the aliens, slaying any that crossed their paths. They gave their all in fighting the aliens, even if it resulted in their deaths. Hell, some of them were resurrected only minutes ago. Yet, they never wavered and they fought like it’s the end of the world. As indeed it would be if they lost.

At another part of the battlefield, they were passing the gauntlet around. From Hawkeye to Black Panther who relayed it to Spiderman before it was passed to Captain Marvel. She then lost the gauntlet when Thanos hit her hard and sent her flying. Seeing that Thanos had put on the gauntlet, Captain Marvel struck again. As the strongest superhero at the scene, the modified half Kree engaged Thanos in hand-to-power combat and did give him a serious challenge until he took a stone from the gauntlet and struck her with it.

When Iron Man saw that, he looked at Dr. Strange, – who was shielding the battlefield from some sort of force – awaiting confirmation of the one in 14,000,604 chances to stop Thanos. When Dr. Strange gave him the signal, Iron Man dashed towards the Titan to grab the gauntlet. Using the nanobots in his suit, he transferred the infinity stones from Thanos’ gauntlet onto his arm piece to the Titan’s complete astonishment; and snapped his fingers, turning Thanos and his army to dust. But the snap killed him.

The world had lost Iron Man. They also lost the Black Widow. Some Wakandan soldiers lost their lives too. The world mourned them. The world also honored them. They cherished their sacrifice and legacy. Those who lost their loved ones grieved a bit longer but life continued on…until new threats reared their ugly heads.


	2. Back To The Future

_2019_

The Chronicoms had taken over the lighthouse. The remaining agents scrambled out of the secret base. The others were unlucky enough to face them and be killed. But they did not go down without a fight. Seeing that winning was out of the picture, Fitz and Simmons made a sacrifice to change their lives the way Enoch put it – the hardest thing they would ever do.

~~~~####~~~~

In an ancient temple somewhere in South America, May was dying. Daisy didn’t know what else to do except to hold her mentor in her arms. Losing a father figure was one thing. Losing the woman whom she considered to be like a mother was way tougher.

She felt guilty for trying to believe that there was a little of Coulson left in Sarge. She felt hopeless for not being strong enough to defeat the creature, Pachakutiq. She felt angry enough toward herself for not using her power sooner to dust the shrikes and joined her SO inside. If only she did that, May would have had backup and may not be heavily injured. She would not be lying amidst a pool of her own blood.

When May closed her eyes and Daisy reluctantly acknowledged that her mentor was not coming back, Simmons and some agents came into the cave. They injected May with something and put her in a hyperbaric chamber. Some agents cut a bit of the monoliths and they hurried onto the Zephyr, immediately jumped to New York, in the 1930s. It was a learning experience for them all. Something they never thought possible. Nevertheless, they’d make the most out of it. And so, their new adventures began – an immense undertaking to change the history of their time. 

~~~~###~~~~

_Some points in time in the past_

By going back in time, the agents knew that they could erase a number of things to happen, if they so desired. However, they could indirectly change the history including their very own existence. Thus, making it difficult in the future, as the changes may affect them.

Besides, there were other reasons why they did so. One of them was the fact that if they messed thoughtlessly with history, then, they couldn’t predict what awaited them when they returned. This was all because of the chain reactions that were bound to happen when a catalyst or in this circumstance, a change, was introduced to a situation. Besides, they could steer the world onto a more dangerous future. So, what was the point of going back to the past without accomplishing their objectives in the first place? The less they change, the better the result they’d hopefully get in preventing another impending catastrophe.

Therefore, they’d rather not change anything except extreme detrimental ones that led to the assault by the Chronicoms, which would undoubtedly put the world in jeopardy. Not even the Chitauri invasion or the HYDRA reveals. They were not even going to prevent what happened in Sokovia or the battle at Wakanda. Not that they can do anything to prevent that. The alien got magical stones for god sake.

Things happened for a reason. They understood that clearly. It’s not like they can change everything. You can only bring a little insight to the people in the past so that they’d be instrumental in being a part of the stopping force. Hence, that was what they did. They laid out plans to fight in the present by equipping certain people in the past with solutions from the future.

They did everything they could to change the outcomes of the Chronicom’s attack. To make sure that the earth was safe. They gave Peggy Carter the intel about Werner Reinhardt and the body of the Kree as well as the obelisks. Daisy and Simmons had the pleasure of working with Dr. Erskine on the super soldier serum using aliases. They also made sure to influence the decision to choose Steve Rogers for the experiment. Then, the agents travelled further forward and told Nick Fury about the drug they could derive from the blue alien.

The agents moved forward to a few stopping points in time from when they arrived in the past with the objective of setting up a foundation to fight for what was to come. In between stops, they gathered information about the current world to which Mack (he has to, he’s the director!), Trip (his ability made him perfect for this job), and May (when she was recuperating) filtered through to revise or devise their plans accordingly – with LMD Coulson for reference.

It was hard work but if they could prepare the world against outside invasions, then, it would be worth it. Plus, working with Peggy Carter and Howard Stark was such a pleasurable memory. The science twins and Daisy at least had a blast by going back to the past. Sparring with the newly minted Captain America and the infamous Howling Commandos were something no one in their team could ever have imagined. Meeting with young Nick Fury who still had both eyes was cool too. Being a part of a team that designed some important things for S.H.I.E.L.D. was an absolute delight to them all.

After time traveled for almost a year, they believed that they did the best they could and called off the first part of their mission. It was time to go back to when they came from and proceeded with the next step – securing their present. Saying goodbye to the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D and others of importance to their mission to save the future, they got ready to leave.

“I think that’s it. Let’s get back to the future.”

Everyone strapped in. May punched in the coordinate to an empty plot near the Lighthouse. They couldn’t just go straight to the hangar for security reasons. Some reconnaissance must be done first. Then, she set the time to the moment a little before they jumped to the past. Making sure everything was locked and everyone was safely strapped in their seats, May’s hand hovered on the jumpdrive button – the one that would take them through space and time – ready to push.

BOOM!

That shocked everyone. May quickly pulled back and they scrambled to find out what happened.

“Fuck! What the hell was that?” Hunter swore when he looked through one of the windows.

There was a group of men – probably mercenaries – came with guns blazing. A few more grenades were thrown to throw those on the ground off balance. The ones in the Zephyr rapidly went out to help. Things seemed to be well-handled when there was a bigger explosion that rocked the whole area. It even rocked the plane. Deke, who was looking through the windscreen near the pilot seat, stumbled on his feet but managed to stand upright by bracing himself against the console.

“You’re okay?” Simmons glanced at Deke. He nodded saying he was fine.

Soon after, they managed to contain the threat and Peggy Carter and Co. thanked them again and promised to write a report on the incident thoroughly so that they can read it back in the future. They just wanted to know what exactly happened. It could be another danger they might face or it could be something new brought on by them visiting the past.

“Alright, let’s go back to the future. For real this time.”

“Lock it or lose it people. You have 2 minutes.”

This time, when May pushed the button, there was no interruption bar the loud sneeze from Hunter. That startled a few agents and Deke, but they did manage to jump to the future.


	3. Unintended Destination

It was dawn. The weather was nice. There was no sign that it would rain that day. One could feel the pleasant breeze near the water. The birds were flying freely. Some others were chirping noisily. There was nobody in the immediate area. It was just her and the nature. That was how she liked it these days. This way, she could mourn her loss privately. There was no one to hover nearby in fear that she would have a meltdown again. Not that she had it on a daily basis. Just once. Okay, twice. The first time was when she at last accepted that her other half was dead. The second time was when her cousins told her that Daisy was gone too along with Trip and their team, leaving no trace.

The dark-haired lady sat on the cliff facing the lighthouse. The S.H.I.E.L.D. base that was once full of agents now sat empty. No one knew it existed. Only her and a few others. They were all gone. She didn’t know what happened. Nobody did. She called. She texted and emailed. There was no answer. Not one. She even went to all of Daisy’s and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s safe houses that she knew of, hoping to find her holed up in one of them. Feeling the burning sensation behind her eyelids, she cursed while trying to hold in her tears.

She was losing hope all over again. She was falling even deeper in despair when she acknowledged to never being able to see Natasha again; plus not knowing the whereabouts of her sister was killing her. She never intended to come back here again and again. She searched the whole base with Sharon and Kevin. There was nothing new. There was nobody there. The quinjets were still there and still working. She sometimes went there to turn on the engines once in a while so that they would stay in good condition. Besides, she could relish the memories of her loved ones, or bawling her eyes out, alone; like she did yesterday. 

However, this morning, there was one thing she realized that was not in the hangar. The Zephyr One was missing. She remembered Daisy told her that they retrofitted the mobile airborne command center to be space ready. In fact, Daisy redesigned the use of the Confederacy’s teleportation device to include it in the plane. She was sure her sister added more frills too. That gave her hope. She just needed to make sure that the Zephyr One was not at the base since Daisy had gone missing. She decided to call Sharon for confirmation.

“Hello?” a sleepy voice answered.

“Sharon. It’s me.”

“Maria? What time is it?” Maria could hear the woman yawned through the call.

“Urghh. It’s six in the morning. It’s too early for a chat. Wait. Why are you calling at dawn? Are you okay? You’re still at the lighthouse, right? Do you want me to keep you company?” The questions were asked rapidly, seemingly in one breath.

“Sharon, breathe,” she teased. “I’m fine. Yes, I’m still here. I just want to ask you something,” she continued when she heard that her cousin had calmed down.

“You’re sure you don’t want me there?”

“Yes. I’m okay.” She waited a bit before she asked Sharon about her suspicions.

“Okay. What do you want to ask me?”

“I was in the hangar this morning –”

“It’s six a.m. How early did you get up?” Silence greeted her. “Not sleeping well?” Sharon inquired softly when Maria didn’t say anything. Ever since she was resurrected, she did not sleep well. Nightmares, grief and memories kept sleep at bay. At first, Sharon and Kevin had to hold her till she went back to sleep, fitfully. It was not healthy the amount of sleep Maria had gotten. She became insomniac. Now that she was getting better, Sharon and her brother let her be when she needed some time to be by herself. This was the first time Maria was at the lighthouse alone. Of course she was worried. She made sure that Maria checked in every other day.

“What were you doing in the hangar?”

“Just looking around the hangar. Turned on some quinjets. Then, I realized something. It’s not there.”

“What’s not there?”

“The Zephyr One.”

“The what?”

“The Zephyr One. Do you remember Daisy told us about the high tech plane they used after they blew up the BUS?” Maria explained, patiently waiting for Sharon to recall the conversation they had a few years back.

“You mean the plane that she and the male scientist, what’s his name? Fritz? Ritz? No. Mitz? Was it Ditz– ?”

“His name is Fitz.” Maria immediately interjected. Sharon could go on and on guessing if she didn’t stop her.

“Right, Fitz. Wait, wasn’t he the one who cut into Daisy without her consent and not showing any sign of remorse? And not even a sincere apology? That Fitz?”

“Yes, that would be him. However, this was a different version. This one did not do any of that.”

“O-kay. I’m still a bit confused, but tell me more about why you called me this early. So, the plane is not in the hangar. And what’s so special about it not being there?”

“It’s an airborne mobile command center. A flying base that could stay up in the air for a long time before it needs refueling. Much like the helicarriers, but smaller.” Maria explained before she added, “After the incidents with General Talbot a.k.a Graviton, and the aliens that attacked the lighthouse – I don’t remember the names – they refitted the plane to be space ready, right before Fitz died. Daisy also said that she recalibrated the aliens’ teleportation device to the Zephyr. Then, they went to space to find Fitz not long before half of the universe was dusted.”

“Wait. Back up. You said that this Fitz was dead?” Sharon asked perplexedly.

“Yes. And then, they went out there to bring him back.” Maria added excitedly. It was a nice sound coming from her after weeks of gloom and doom that enveloped her that to Sharon felt like such a long time coming. On the other hand, she was getting confused.

“I don’t understand. If he is dead, where would Daisy bring him back from? Did he die in space? Was that why they went out there, to recover the body?”

She could hear Maria chuckled on the other side of the line. “No. He died in Chicago. Under rubbles while evacuating the civilians during the Graviton fiasco. However, that was Agent Fitz from the future. He went into cryo sleep for over seventy years to meet the team in the future. He came back with everyone else to the present back in 2018 before the Snap.”

“So, we could say that there were two of him at the time he died. That’s the reason Daisy went to space? To retrieve the current him?” when Maria responded with a yes, Sharon added, “but why? I thought he went to cryo sleep to join them in the future. If they brought him back, wouldn’t that affect their mission in the future?”

“Because they fixed that future. So, there is no reason for him to do that anymore.”

“Oh…I see. So, you think they took the Zephyr One with them?”

“I think so. You said she was still here around a year after the Snap, right?”

“That’s right.” Sharon was trying to recall that day. “She went to your apartment. I remember that she only found out about you that day. Heck, the whole team probably didn’t know about it. But, the day she came by was the day Natasha got her shit together. Kevin and I were coincidentally there to make sure she was taking care of herself. Daisy spent a couple days there, mourning you and helping Natasha to get back on her feet. She said they did it – I supposed she talked about the space mission – but there was a new threat. I never really understood it, she didn’t reveal much. Enough to say that there was a new enemy they were fighting against. There were news of weird things occurred around that time too.”

“Perhaps that was when she came back from space,” she speculated. “After that, she was gone without a trace?” Maria asked trying to temper down the hope that bloomed in her. “What were the odds that they may have gone somewhere with the plane, and yet to come back?”

“It’s been 4 years. That would be a very long time to go dark. But if they went to space, time was relative out there. It’s not impossible.” Sharon was also feeling hopeful with Maria’s theory. She missed that girl. She was the youngest in their family and the most affectionate. Daisy seemed to know how to give a pep talk when you were down, just not to herself perhaps, if her devil-may-care Goth phase was any indicator. When Maria came back, but not Natasha, she really hoped that their little sister was there to help picked up the pieces and helped Maria like she did with Natasha. But when she didn’t, they worried that she might have met her demise and they had no way of knowing what happened.

They talked a bit more before they hung up. Maria decided to check the security footage of the lighthouse to find more information. There must be something that could be helpful. She looked at the rising sun. It was a breathtaking sight. Sighing, she just wished that she could enjoy it without heartaches and could share it with her loved ones.

Feeling the wind getting stronger, she stood and turned to go back to the base. Immediately she stopped and squinted her eyes to look at the flat expanse of land nearby. Something appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared in a blink of an eye. Sensing danger, she found a place to hide. There was a rip in the air. It was getting bigger and bigger and then, she saw a portal with what looked like the cargo area of a plane or maybe a spaceship on its other side. ‘Shit. Not another alien ship. Damn. It is a cloaked ship,’ she was starting to panic when she saw booted feet walking toward the ramp.

When she saw the first person who appeared on the ramp, she felt her heart stopped for a while there. Then, another one appeared. Her breath hitched and she stood there motionless. The two people – a man and a woman – were discussing something. Then, the cargo ramp was folded back and it was like there was nothing there. They halted and surveyed the area probably looking for any unwanted threats. She saw the first person looking at her direction.

“What is it, Daisy?” the man asked the girl, confirming Maria that she was not hallucinating.

“Who’s there?”

Maria hesitated to show herself initially. However, when Daisy and Trip demanded crisply for her to show herself, she stepped out of her hiding place. “Daisy? Trip?”

“Maria!” they both ran towards her, squealing happily. Daisy hugged her tightly and Trip wrapped them both in his embrace. They spent some time like that, crying happy tears. Maria cried a bit longer, which she sure caused her sister and cousin to worry. She didn’t care. She got them back. That was all that mattered. She could feel the lump in her heart lifted bit by bit, relieved that they were okay.

“Wait, why are you here? Nobody knows this place. And you got dusted…” Both Daisy and Trip looked at each other, confused. Daisy who was still holding Maria quaked her a bit making her yelped.

“Did you just quake me?”

“Just making sure you’re not LMD. You’re not a skrull or any shapeshifting alien, are you?”

“Ah, right and no.”

But that doesn’t explain why you’re here when I know that you were …” Daisy stopped there, reeling when she recalled the way she felt the day she learned of Maria’s death.

Understanding dawned on her. “That was five years ago. We got resurrected.”

“What? How is that possible?”

“Hold on. Did you say five years ago? What date is today?” When Maria told them the date, they were stunned.

“I thought we’re going back to the right point in time?” Trip was now sounded really concerned.

“There must be a glitch in the system. Or someone messed with the console while we were out fighting the mercenaries. I did see May punched in the right information in the jumpdrive system.”

Trip nodded. “Who did you see near the console when we got back on the Zephyr?” Daisy tilted her head, wrinkling her eyebrows trying to recall. “There were Simmons and Deke. The others were too far from there.”

“Between Simmons and Deke…huh…probably Deke. Simmons would have checked if only to make sure she didn’t mess anything up before we jumped.”

“Definitely Deke.” Both Daisy and Trip came to the same conclusion. Trip went back in to inform the rest while Daisy stayed and caught up with Maria.

Not about to let her sister go, Maria held on to Daisy and they went to sit near the cliff she just left a few minutes prior. They talked and Maria told her everything she could remember. Daisy was shaken. They mourned Natasha and Tony. They talked about Natasha’s charity for children. Maria thanked Daisy for helping Natasha when she wasn’t able to. They discussed options. They video chatted with Sharon. Daisy relayed to her some of their adventures. Time travel. The Avengers did that too but it was totally in a different method to the agents’.

When May called them inside, Maria spent all the time she had with them before they finished recharging the drive. Daisy and Fitz explained that their mode of travelling was different from the Avengers. The Avengers was using continuum tunnel, which in theory would most likely create a branch timeline hypothetically. The Zephyr was using monoliths – with magic and science combined – which placed them where and when they wanted to be on a linear or/and non-linear timeline. They promised to do everything they could to help prevent the worst of Thanos’ craziness, giving Maria the hope that things would get better.

When it was time for the Zephyr One to depart, they said goodbye. After May and Trip hugged her – promising to look out for Daisy, Maria pulled Daisy to her and embraced her tightly. When she finally let go, she kissed her on the cheek and forehead like she always did. Daisy murmured next to her ears that they’d do their best to fix things.

“Please be careful and don’t get yourself killed kiddo,” Maria ordered, holding strongly to her composure. There were other agents there. She had a reputation dammit. She was not going to bawl her eyes out.

Daisy just smirked. “When did I ever be reckless?” Maria just gave her a pointed look. “Okay, okay I will. You take care of yourself too, sis. Tell the others I said hi.”

Then, they were gone. Hopefully back in the right time. Maria stayed there for a while longer before walking toward the lighthouse. She felt lighter. She was hopeful. She’d stay one more night there and then went back to the city the next morning.


	4. Mission: Possible

It was a peaceful day near the Lighthouse. Everything seemed to be okay when all of a sudden there was a ripple in the air and something big and heavy landed. Not that anyone can see it. Birds rammed into it mid-flight. Other creatures scrambled away when there was a rip in the air and a ramp was seen lowered to the ground from out of nowhere. A few people got out and were checking the perimeter. Glancing at the screen on the time console, they were assured that this time around, there was no error. They were right at when they were supposed to be.

The agents onboard the Z1 had traveled for the duration of almost a year in the past. They even spent a few hours stranded in the future. Now that they were back, everyone was busy doing their tasks – there were a few that they had to do after each jump. Since this was the most crucial moment in their future-saving mission, they were going all out.

Fitz and Enoch were checking the system and the overall health of the command unit. Simmons was making sure that all agents were okay after the last skirmish in the past before she checked on the medical bay and the laboratories. Daisy was securing their network safety and once that was done, she started hacking secured servers looking for classified information as well as the security system of the Lighthouse simultaneously.

At the same time, Deke was ensuring that their communication units would work without any problems and patched the strike team with the command center. Trip and the strike team were checking the perimeter and went scouting the target area once their comms were securely patched through. They did not want anybody near the Z1 like last time, though they were lucky that it was Maria Hill who found them, it was still too risky. So, they were taking extra precautions.

On another part of the plane, May was logging the flight data before helping Yo-Yo, Flint and a few agents probing the internet for news. They also had LMD Coulson to scan the internet. Others were making sure everything on the Z1 was safely tucked away and intact. Mack would then go over the situational reports from everyone before they proceeded with the plan.

Once everything was ready and all agents had been briefed, they geared up and with Mack’s brief uplifting speech and cautions; they were out accomplishing the mission. The agents were to work in teams with specific tasks to complete.

LMD Coulson was assigned as the mission commander. He was to direct the agents to their tasks and safety whenever necessary. He was also in charge of checking the team’s vitals, calculating success rate and keeping eyes on uncounted for variables that could affect everything they had worked so hard for. There were a couple more agents stationed on Z1 who would be the eyes of the missions through the numerous screens in the command center.

~~~~####~~~~

First, they were going to fortify the Lighthouse in case the Chronicoms decided to attack sooner that they did in the initial timeline. Some things may have changed after they meddled with time. With the security feed of the base hijacked, they could go in without alerting the agents inside. Fitz, Yoyo, Simmons and Hunter were Team Alpha while Deke, Bobbi, Flint and Mack were Team Beta. They were to infiltrate the Lighthouse and fitted the base with a few devices. There were two sets of them. Each set consisted of a main component and plenty of secondary ones. These devices worked wonders with the upgraded Zephyr One. So, they were hopeful that they could protect the Lighthouse as well.

Team Alpha was to go to the system/server room to fit the main component of the first device. It was a specially enhanced cloaking device that Daisy, Fitz and Deke designed. Using S.H.I.E.L.D.’s cloaking technique that Fitz improved a few years back, Daisy programmed it to be able to shield whatever entity it was cloaking from detection of any sorts and it also functioned as a firewall for the base’s server. Deke later chipped in on the idea on how to enable it to cover a large enough area. In other words, the device functioned like a firewall, a giant jammer and invisibility cloak combined. Due to the size of the Lighthouse, they had manufactured a set of them to cover the whole base and its immediate area.

At the same time, Team Beta was installing the main component of the second device in the secondary power room near the armory, which would be able to protect the Lighthouse from physical attacks. It was used to provide the lighthouse with several invisible layers of protective armored shields that would safeguard the base from unwanted assaults and infiltration including teleportation. With insights from May, Bobbi and Hunter, it also included serious offensive functions – programmed to be activated only when there was an attack. Thus, making the Lighthouse an impenetrable fortress.

While Fitz and Deke were dealing with the new tech – installing the main components and configuring the network system for the devices – the other six agents scattered around to plant the secondary components of those devices at a few specific locations around the Lighthouse, so that they would form a network of signals that connected with the main components. Only then would the new technology work. It took them close to an hour to do that. 

Outside the Lighthouse, Team Charlie led by Piper was scouting the perimeter and making sure that there was no unwelcome factor that may disturb their mission. Another thing they had to do was plant the rest of the secondary components from both sets of devices outside the base. They were also tasked to provide backup if the need arose.

Now that the secondary components were strategically installed on the inside and outside the Lighthouse, it was up to Fitz and Deke to calibrate all of them to the main components’ algorithms. Once that was done, an intricate network would be formed among them. The last step was to integrate the new network system to the base’s internal server using the backdoor deliberately left after Daisy hacked the Lighthouse. Thus, completing the multi-layered shield and cloaking protocols they now had enveloping the Lighthouse.

~~~~####~~~~

Somewhere in space, a large flagship was seen floating in the earth’s orbit. Its crew was planning to attack the Lighthouse. They believed that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be an obstacle to their plan. They were going to destroy the agency and established Chronica 3 on the planet. Then, the Chronicoms would flourish.

Z1 sent May, Daisy, Trip and Enoch as Team Delta to infiltrate the Chronicoms. Using the spaceship they collected from the Kree during their travel back in 1940s – it was old but still more advance than human’s space transports; repurposed with all the advanced techs they could get their hands on, they launched to space. With Davis piloting and their backup on the spacecraft, they quietly broke into the Chronicom’s spaceship; optimizing the new cloaking device to ensure successful access into the enemy’s territory.

Swiftly, they incapacitated the Chronicoms, disabled the spaceship’s trackers and communication system. Next, they took over the control and swiped the whole ship, downloaded tons of information and erased loads of dangerous ones should they fall into wrong hands – one of them being the data they gathered from FitzSimmons when the scientists were put inside the memory machine. They also looted techs that caught their eyes like ring-like teleportation devices and laser-based weapons.

With eyes on broader horizons and distant futures, they believed that the flagship would be useful later. So, they towed it to an invisible secret space lab/station (which was actually the spaceship that crashed over Chicago a year ago and repaired) that was orbiting the planet for safekeeping before returning to earth.

~~~~####~~~~

Back on Z1, the others were waiting anxiously for Team Delta to finish their mission. No matter how much confidence they have on the team’s capability, they were still worried about their friends. Meanwhile, to pass the time, they scanned all systems to make certain that everything was according to plan. The crew also scanned for world news just to check the effects of their meddling in the past. Some agents even played cards and board games. Waiting game however, was nobody’s favorite.

Everyone’s attention was fixed to the command center when the communication unit on the Zephyr crackled followed by Davis’ voice. Once they heard that the mission was successfully accomplished, they were overjoyed and hugs and handshakes were traded all around. Not long after that, they welcomed their friends in the hangar and congratulated each other again.

After dinner, the agents went to their private quarters to clean up and to get some rest before debriefing in the morning, leaving only a handful of skeleton crew at the command center. Now that they had completed their mission, they only had to wait for Team Echo to return from South America. Only then would they finish their entire mission and returned to the base.

~~~~####~~~~

Meanwhile, both Agents Koenig and a couple of ops agents were sent to the ancient temple where the past May and Co. were battling Izel and Sarge. They were tasked to observe the event partly to make sure everything happened as it was supposed to and that Simmons arrived promptly at the right time in the newly upgraded Zephyr One. When they were done, they returned to the Zephyr at dawn, a few hours after Team Delta came back from space.

~~~~####~~~~

The next morning, the agents on the Zephyr One woke up fresh from one of the best sleep they had since they could remember. Everyone took their time just enjoying a nice morning on the day they never got to live on before they embarked on this whole journey.

Daisy’s plan to sleep in, however, was thwarted by May when the older woman dragged her to the gym – groaning and grumbling notwithstanding – for tai chi and fight training at 5 in the morning. Agent May even helped her find her workout gears; well more like threw them in her face. Dawn was not even here yet.

“Come on. It’s not like you’re not used to it. You do this as a daily routine.” May reasoned while smirking at her protégé when Daisy protested at being woken at ungodly hours after a taxing mission. “Besides, it was an easy one. We had some that were way more difficult.”

When Daisy just sat there in the gym moping, May casually asked “so, what time you went to bed last night?”

“Eh, quite early,” Daisy said trying to be nonchalant.

“Really? What were you doing after we got back?” May expertly probed.

“Sleep.” When May raised an eyebrow, Daisy added, “Oh, just browsing the internet.”

Glancing at her pseudo daughter, she rolled her eyes fondly. “You were hacking, weren’t you?” 

“Um…no.” Another raised eyebrow. “I was gathering intelligence.”

“Oh really? From where? About what?” 

Gulping, she tried through the sleepy haze in her mind, to find a suitable excuse for hacking instead of sleeping. However, finding excuses was not on her plate this morning and May continued to reprimand her for not taking care of herself better. She even did it while tying Daisy’s hair into a ponytail. The Inhuman only realized this when it was done. She was so out of it this early in the morning. It was still dark outside for goodness sake.

Knowing that she would never win against her mentor, Daisy yielded and started warming up. After 30 minutes of tai chi, she was fully woken up. Then, they sparred a little bit. They followed this with cardio – running laps, more like running around the Zephyr before venturing into the wooded area nearby. All the while checking the perimeter for security purpose, which was something they did on the fly. Then, they sparred some more outdoors, using their surroundings as weapons and advantages.

While they were in the woods, a quinjet arrived and they paused their training to check on the newcomer. Once they established that it was friendly, they walked toward the jet. It looked like Team Echo had just returned to base. After exchanging a few words and updating each other on the missions, they went back to their training while the other agents went to report their returns before debriefing in a couple hours.

~~~~####~~~~

They debriefed after breakfast. Each team reported their end of the mission. Soon after they made sure it was safe to return to the Lighthouse, they packed everything and flew to the hangar deep under the lake, pretending that they came back from the temple. Since the mission was classified, they kept it off record (unless you counted the coded recount Daisy and LMD Coulson put together and stored the report on a very secure server) and only those involved had the knowledge of it. They all agreed not to disclose it to anyone else. 

In the end, the day was saved. Our heroes were back in 2019. They had dealt with all complications that arose and right what went wrong. The year-long mission was successful. The future was secured…for now. Next, they were going to prepare for another calamity – the one told by Commander Maria Hill from the future. In the meantime, they’d enjoy the peaceful moment for however long they could while still being alert of cases that needed S.H.I.E.L.D. to be involved.


	5. Reconnecting the Web

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents managed to thwart the Chronicom’s plan and saved the future.
> 
> Daisy was reflecting on what happened for the past two years and acknowledging her thoughts and feelings regarding certain issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, there are a few extra things about Daisy’s background.

_Click. Clack. Clack… Clack…Click._

It was late. Really late. She should be sleeping now. She would. Soon. But she just had to finish this before that. Sleep was overrated anyway. If May knew, she would not approve of this. Daisy would have done with it a lot sooner if she refrained from hacking into multiple classified servers.

_Click. Clack. Clack… Clack…_

The sounds resounded throughout the room.

She was typing furiously on the keyboard. So fast that if you didn’t have a pair of trained enough eyes, you would not be able to track the movement of her fingers.

 _Click…clack…clack…clack…_ some more and then the final click.

“Right. That’s done. Let’s put this back online.”

She put up her newly rewritten codes for her track and trace program. It was one of the fanciest algorithms she ever wrote, for a search engine that was. She was finding out the whereabouts of her family and some friends. Making sure they were okay, especially her sister-in-law. Hopefully she was better nowadays, considering the wreck she was the last time Daisy visited.

She kept it running in the background and went to work on another project. If Mack found out about her side project, he would not be pleased but he’d tried to understand. He had come to be so far different from his old self, more acceptable rather than simply dismissing things he did not agree with.

He’d never doubted her since the battle on the Illiad. He became her partner and he still consulted her about many things from operations, to systems maintenance to tactics and strategy to upgrades and all the technical aspects. Sometimes, she felt as though Mack was just doing that as a courtesy since she never got to run her directorial duty when she was director. He’d make a great leader who listened to his subordinates and be supportive of what his agents can do. She never regretted appointed him as her successor.

Piper and Davis always sided with her but not showing it openly. They were her inside guys, very sympathetic and understanding. Never did they downplay Daisy’s situation after the infection, the withdrawal and the guilt. Since the debacle with Hive, whenever they could, they’d report to Daisy any information they considered important and useful to her. Not even Yo-Yo knew that she was not the only contact Daisy had in S.H.I.E.L.D. at that time.

Daisy even trained with them whenever they could. Those two were also Daisy’s willing victims when she wanted to experiment with her theories or inventions. Well, they’d be one of the earliest agents who got to use them anyway. Both agents were always loyal to her and not once did they ever let out Daisy’s secrets.

If the knowledge of what Daisy was doing got out and reached the team, they would probably accuse her of not being a team player. Again. They would allege that Daisy was inviting troubles. Huh! She could be sitting down anywhere – at the base, in a café or at a park – troubles might still come her way.

They would say that she was selfish – again – and would go against her if they didn’t agree with her. Next, they’d air the proverbial laundry all over again. Like last time. It was horrible and it may not happen that way again. Call her paranoid but she couldn’t face that kind of betrayal again. Oh, she’d survive alright, but her heart might not.

Having her teammates disagreed with everything she said or did, being dismissive and disrespectful towards Daisy when they went against her especially during her short tenure as director and never tried to understand her perspectives – it was quite an agony to her mind and soul. They did not even try to pretend to listen to her; already had their preconceived notion and just straight up and gone and did what they wanted to do, regardless of the consequences. Ironically, those consequences required her to do the clean up like saving the ‘invincible’ trio at one of HYDRA’s facilities and Coulson’s retrieval from the alien’s spaceship.

Yet, they blamed her for only thinking of herself. To think that she once thought of them as a family unit and tried to keep an open mind when they went off the deep end like Mack and Simmons did after her terrigenesis or Fitz after the Framework.

Yes, when the situation was dire enough that hope seemed nowhere in sight, people got scared and desperate. They forgot the consequences of their words and actions. She understood that everything they went through all these years changed their lives. After all, we were shaped by our experiences. It happened to the rest of the team.

Just look at Fitz and Simmons. When they first came aboard the Bus, they were just a couple of nerdy scientists who still had sparkles of excitement in their eyes. Yo-Yo was only a girl trying to do right by discreetly go against corrupt police. And Daisy, she was living in a van. Now, they were a force to be reckoned with.

She knew that most of the time they fought was just because of the heat of the moments. Everybody was scared and distressed. They argued and sometimes they said hurtful things they didn’t mean. She got it. She forgave them but it was hard to forget when things always went pear-shaped and everything came back to the forefront of her mind. She always prided her good memory, but it hurt when painful ones reared their ugly heads.

Yeah. They’d likely not going to support what she was doing. Except May. She was supportive of her. Always stood by her side, no matter what. She would scold her when needed like a mother would with her daughter. Her mentor never went fully outright against her. She would explain and reason with Daisy. She would even apologize if she went a bit too much especially when she could see that Daisy was upset and hurt with what she said or did. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, May always knew when to console her. She would always be family to her.

It was slow – the process of bridging the gap in their relationship after the brief jaunt to the dystopian future. Daisy tried. She sort of mended things up with Simmons, though at times it felt like it was not truthfully done. What with the way the biochemist acted while searching for Fitz in space. Argued and went against her orders when Daisy was clearly the captain of the ship. If they were military, the scientist would be court-martialled or worse dishonorably discharged for disobedience and dangerous conduct.

On the other hand, Daisy understood that Simmons was mostly worried about finding her husband. Wasn’t that how she felt when Coulson was dying not long ago? How she just couldn’t think of anything else aside from saving him. What she’d do for a sliver of hope. She might be a bit hardheaded in keeping AC alive, but she did not endanger others in doing so. Heck, she even dug up her mother’s skeleton for his cure. Nevertheless, the options were taken from her hands by none other than Coulson himself. ‘Damn his soul…No...Bless his soul.’ The fact that she couldn’t really be angry at him was infuriating.

Yet after they returned from that disastrous future, half of the team was so hostile towards her; and when the Lighthouse was attacked by the Confederacy, she was blamed as if she should have known about it. And to be told that they didn’t pick her and she should have just stayed in the future as if her life meant little, opened a whole can of worms she kept tightly lidded inside since she erased herself from the foster system. How her heart broke, nobody would ever know, but the cracks from those days were still there and they were not easily mended.

Her real family never doubted her. Not even when it seemed like they were on the opposite sides. There must be a reason for their action. They never judged each other. They supported and had faith among themselves. Trust was there no matter what. Her team on the other hand was breaking apart two years ago. Or last year if you omitted the year they time traveled. The year-long mission sort of helped them reconnect, not like the way they used to be but close.

Now, she could work with the others amicably. Heck, she even designed a few stuff with Fitz and improved some others. She explained to him everything she did engineeringwise (within his clearance level) during the duration of his absence on a need-to-know basis. When Fitz was curious about how she managed to do all that, she deflected by saying that she had time to read and there were a lot of trials and errors. There was no need to advertise the amount of knowledge a high school dropout like herself could know. She might have dropped out of high school but that didn’t mean she stopped her education.

Besides Fitz, she was also trying to patch things up with Yo-Yo. Talking casually like before was not easy. Both of them were minding their words trying not to set the other off. It was too much work but she did try. She even designed a few sets of limbs for Yo-Yo, with upgrades. Many thought Fitz made those. Well, they were wrong and Daisy never corrected them. There was no point because they would not believe that the high school dropout hacker turned agent turned superheroes (albeit reluctantly) had the brains to do it. Besides, she preferred other people not knowing that she was good at scholarly stuff.

With Simmons, they upgraded the Z1’s medical department. They even worked together in patching up the agents especially when they learned by accident that Daisy, who was spouting medical jargon that even Simmons had a hard time comprehending, was trained in emergency medical treatment – that was what they thought, but what they didn’t know was that it was for her survival while in foster care and then later, while on the street. She lost count of how many times she had to treat her own injuries.

She was lucky that one of her foster moms was a nurse and she insisted that Daisy learned basic first aid. In addition, when she was living with the Carters, they practically shoved the medical knowledge down her throat. She was even forced to dissect cadavers for goodness sake (she learned not to ask about their origins and that the matriarch of that family was one resourceful lady to provide these samples for their studies); and studied a lot in theory through her readings. The life she had with them was undoubtedly the best time of her formative years. Until now they kept in touch and she became a part of the clan.

The Inhuman even assisted in theatre especially when complicated procedures were needed. If only they knew that Daisy assisted Mack and Piper in patching Deke up once or that she helped Piper through her field medical training. Heck, they seemed to have even forgotten that Daisy assisted Simmons during Yo-Yo’s surgery.

She could now not look at Fitz and be traumatized or instantly filled with fear and loath toward the other guy. She still felt uncomfortable being alone in the same room with him though she hid it well. She understood trauma or PTSD if one wanted to be specific. Her siblings lived with it. Heck, she herself had it. Her childhood warranted that she had some of her episodes. Memories interlaced with nightmares were pretty common among them. But all of them were very understanding, soothing and helping each other to get through the worst of it. They all acknowledged that and sought help and comfort.

Looking back, the way Fitz acted as though he did nothing wrong and not feeling guilty at all after the fact would always make her sad and angry. However, she quickly accepted that that Fitz was sick after his experience in the Framework and did not get any help or treatment. This Fitz however, didn’t do all those things. This Fitz could still be saved before he succumbed to his psychotic episodes, only if he admitted that and only if he wanted help. You couldn’t force people to accept choices made for them. Oh, only if you were Daisy. Then, people just shoved their so called choices to her face and expected her to be flattered and accepted them wholeheartedly.

Recognizing that she was getting upset, she shoved the thought to the far recesses of her mind and finished up encoding another one of her programs. Once she finished prepping her side project, she launched it online.

The Rising Tide was now reactivated. She made a little difference as compared to the previous version of the hacktivist group. This time around they would not release classified confidential information that might be harmful, but to be the ears and eyes for Daisy and her team for the upcoming battle.

Besides, they couldn’t depend on people like the Avengers the whole time. For that reason, let the public contributed their efforts in saving the world too. However, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t expose any dirty secrets that would benefit both the authority and the public. Hey, she still believed in freedom of information as long as they weren’t harmful and could jeopardize lives.

Yawning, she looked at the time, it was already very late. Well, she might get to sleep in this morning. Putting her laptop on the desk, she went to bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

~~~~####~~~~

She was in the middle of a nice dream when someone yanked her blanket. Opening her eyes blearily, she saw May beside her bed, waking her up for training at 5 fucking o’clock in the morning!

“Wake up kiddo. It’s time for morning workout.” Whatever was she thinking of ever telling Agent May that, she for better or worse sort of adopted her as her mom? But May was delighted by that and smiled widely, which scared some agents who saw her doing so. Now, she did whatever a mom would do to/with her daughter sometimes much to Daisy’s chagrin. ‘Why were you my mom again?’

~~~~####~~~~

A couple of days after they returned to the Lighthouse and acclimating themselves with the current world, Daisy decided to visit her family. Reconnecting the web they’d weaved for years. She’d planned to visit some of her friends too. The more people she could recruit for the oncoming battle, the better prepared they’d hopefully be.

Since all involved in the mission on Z1 were required to take two weeks mandatory leave, Daisy planned her journey. They were to take the leave in turns. Daisy, May, Trip and Piper were the last group to take their vacation, a month later. During this time, they were able to train all out and Trip and Daisy were able to experiment or practice their full capabilities in anything they wanted without prying eyes. They still kept some things from others especially those who were not familiar with them. Not that there were many of them but some secrets should stay undisclosed. Well, May knew most of them anyway. She didn’t count. She was her mom!

While waiting for her turn, Daisy bought a van and upgraded it with advanced technology and a pretty luxurious living area in a tight space. With Mack’s, Trip’s and LMD Coulson’s help, she worked on the engine and body of her soon to be living quarter on the road for at most a couple of nights. But, a girl got to have her comforts on road trips. Truthfully, she missed her van. In the meantime, May and Piper helped her with the interior. Even Snowflake was let out and gave some ideas to make the van better and safer. Somehow, they decided to recondition the assassin whom they hope could be their asset.

Daisy was making a list of people she would meet for her three weeks leave (she asked for an extra week because she never got any for years! The days she spent comforting her sister-in-law and friends did not count). Drafting the list of things she had to do, she prepared in her mind what to say to them. She was also feeling terrified with the revelations she was going to tell her family. But she had to do it. She promised her sister that they would try. She also promised her sister to send a message to her wife.

Contacting her attorneys was next. She just needed a copy of all her holdings and everything they entailed. It was easy securing an appointment when you were their elusive client. Once that settled, she contacted her business representatives. She demanded that they sent a more detailed quarterly report that was due a few days after their return from the past. Plus, they were required to attend a meeting with her when she got to New York City – only them. She’d send a car to pick them up to an undisclosed location. She assumed that her reps were breaking their backs and a few other employees with her requests. Once she added in her schedules the estimated three days for these meetings, she still had more than a week to spend with her family.

When the reports came in, she went through them rapidly, noting the good and bad investments. At the same time, she made notes what she should do next and what she’d discuss with her business representatives. She also looked for any discrepancies. She would not allow anyone stealing from her companies. When her lawyers emailed her the requested documents, she poured through them too. Then, she made a few changes here and there. She planned to liquefy some of her ‘secondary’ assets. She would need the money for their bigger projects.

She spent the time training, designing and planning until the day came for them to leave. May was taking a quinjet to visit her parents before heading to Tahiti, dropping Piper on the way. Trip and Daisy headed towards New York. It took them some time to reach the city with a few stops for sightseeing, rest and food. Their first destination was an apartment. Last time she checked, her sister-in-law was still living there.

They bypassed the front door to the lobby easily and went up the elevator to the right floor. Soon, she found herself standing in front of the door, with Trip’s hand on her shoulder, giving her his support. She could sense one person in the apartment. Breathing in deeply, she pressed the doorbell and waited for the occupant to answer. It was time for a family reunion.


	6. Family Reunions

Natasha Romanoff was prepping the ingredients for lunch when her doorbell rang. Frowning, she looked at the clock on the wall. It was still early. Sharon was usually punctual if not a little early. But it was not another hour before she would arrive.

Grabbing a gun, she walked silently to the door and peered through the peephole. All she could see was a head full of dark hair with blonde highlights. When the person turned to press the doorbell again, Natasha gasped softly. She couldn’t believe her eyes. She did not know what Daisy was up to these days but she couldn’t be too careless. It could be an LMD or any sinister beings pretending to be her. She recalled Daisy once told her of an army of them that looked just like her.

“Natasha?” She startled when her name was called. “It’s Daisy and Trip.”

She kept quiet. “I know you’re in there. I could sense you.” Well, Daisy could sense people’s heartbeats. So, she said some of their code phrases, just to make sure.

[What did Melissa say?]

[Rinaldi said to come]

[Mike Yankee Whiskey India Foxtrot Echo]

[Mike Alpha Romeo India Alpha Hotel India Lima Lima]

[How is Kasius these days?]

[I don’t know. He’s dead.]

Daisy uttered immediately. It was the exact answer for those particular ones. They’d practiced a number of code phrases for safety and that last one was recently created after Daisy came back from space. Only then, Natasha was sure that it was Daisy on the other side of the door. So, she opened it and braced herself because Daisy would definitely launch herself straight into her arms. Still she let out a quiet yelp with the force of the hug.

If Natasha didn’t know her sister-in-law’s tendency to jump-hugged family members, she might have incapacitated her out of reflex. She did that the first time they met. The girl was launching herself onto Maria. Thinking it was an attack, she grabbed Daisy and threw her over her shoulders. It happened a few times more when the younger woman tried to hug Maria, Natasha or Sharon. Well, you can’t blame an ex-assassin to think it was an assault and not attacked them. Over time, she got used to it and just let the girl get her hugging portion of the day.

Moving into the apartment, they continued hugging and crying (on Daisy’s part, of course, Natasha was too cool to shed tears upon meeting someone she last saw almost two months ago), feeling relieved that the other was safe. Glancing at Trip, Natasha mouthed ‘thank you’ for closing the door and for making sure Daisy stayed alive. When they both let go, Natasha brushed a few tear drops on Daisy’s cheeks and murmured how much she missed the younger girl. How worried she was when there was no news about her. About how relieved she was that Daisy and Trip were safe.

The fact that it was less than two months since Natasha last saw her was beside the point. However, for Daisy, a year had passed since they last saw each other. Then, Natasha turned to Trip and hugged him. This whole scene was a rare sight because the Black Widow would never show such open affections through words or actions especially when there were other people around. However, now, she didn’t care. She was happy. Besides, they were in her apartment and these two were family; and they already saw her at the lowest point of her life.

Natasha led Daisy to the couch while Trip was helping himself to a bottle of beer. The women declined his offer of beers, so he gave them lemonade he found in a jug in the fridge. Seeing that there were ingredients for lunch on the counter, Trip called out, “hey Tasha, you’re making lunch?”

“Yeah,” she immediately answered. “Sharon and Kevin will be coming for lunch today. We’re still having that Sunday Lunch Ritual.” Turning to Daisy, she suggested they moved the conversation to the kitchen. She went to the fridge and the pantry, to take out more ingredients to feed five adults, no, make that a dozen people – being Inhumans, Trip and Daisy sure ate a lot. They could give Steve Rogers a competition. Then, the three of them started cooking.

“What are we cooking, actually?” Daisy asked interestedly.

“We’re not actually cooking unless you wanna eat charcoal.” She uttered dryly. “Anyway, I was planning on club sandwich, salad and ice cream. However, since you guys are here–,” she paused dramatically, “–we’ll have to make a lot more food.” Natasha answered playfully.

“Hey! We’re not that bad. We’re Inhumans. We have fast metabolisms.” Daisy countered and shoved Natasha’s arm gently.

“But you have always eaten a lot even before the terrigenesis.” Trip’s teasing caused Daisy to pout adorably and when they both laughed at her, she stuck her tongue out at them before laughing along.

Hence, the cooking (they did prepare more food, more like Trip did as he was a great cook) was done in laughter and full of chatter with the current news about their lives – something that they missed doing after all hell broke loose. They did not talk about heavy things. They’d wait for the Carters to reveal all. They also decided not to inform the siblings of their visits. Imagined their surprise when they saw both Trip and Daisy sitting nonchalantly on the couch. Natasha couldn’t wait to see that.

~~~~####~~~~

Sharon met Kevin at the lobby of Natasha’s and Maria’s apartment. Her brother’s wide smile lightened her mood. So similar to their great-aunt’s. They always made her feel better. They greeted each other with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. They conversed casually on the way up to the apartment.

They kept up the lunch ritual since Maria’s death. At first, they stayed there for a couple of weeks. Natasha was a mess and not taking care of herself. She did not eat nor sleep. She didn’t even shower for days. That was the most unkempt they ever saw her. Heck, she was even surprised that the redhead let them see her like that, but losing the love of her life devastated her so much that it numbed her to the point of total unresponsiveness to everything. A shell of a lost soul instead of a person.

Then, when she began to exhibit an awareness to her surroundings, they came every day but only stayed every other night. After a while, they only stayed during the weekends. Just to make sure that Natasha was doing okay. They brought her food and groceries. They talked about whatever they could think of because the silence was too much. But then she just kept to herself. Oh, she moved with precise motions like she always did but her mind was elsewhere, lost in grief and memories.

When she stayed that way for weeks, Sharon wished that the Snap didn’t happened. She dreamed of changing the past. She hoped that their little sister would just come for a visit. Not having any news, she prayed that Daisy and Trip were safe. When she saw the news of weird occurrences a few weeks ago, she called them. She knew that they were involved in it. They didn’t answer. She then tried to contact May with the knowledge that May would be with them. Nobody picked up the phone. There was not even a ring tone. It went straight to voicemail.

Feeling desperate, she dialed a number Daisy gave them saying ‘call this person in case of emergency when you couldn’t reach any of us.’ Colored her surprise when a familiar voice answered. It was Bobbi Morse. After they went off the grid, there was no trace of them. To find out that her sister was in contact with the Mockingbird and her husband all this while was comforting. It was just like her to have contacts all over the place, straight-laced law abiding people or/and otherwise.

Reassured that Bobbi would look into this matter, she composed herself and focused on helping Natasha get her mojo back. But Sharon still called Daisy’s number every month hoping that she’d pick it up. She might try that again this afternoon.

The others never knew that Natasha and Maria were in a relationship, let alone being married for years. The Avengers were looking out for her. Even Pepper, Darcy and Jane came to cheer her up. And she became better. Sometimes a thought came to mind that maybe Natasha was just pretending that she was okay so that they would stop worrying about her. She hated people fussing over her. Only Maria had that privilege. Daisy would just run over her defense and she’d given up trying to deny the little imp. It was no use anyway. Daisy would do what Daisy wanted to do. But Natasha sometime lapsed into deep sadness that she would slip to her bedroom to cry quietly and holed up in her apartment for days until one of them came and dragged her out of bed.

For months after the day people were dusted, Natasha was in limbo, until Daisy suddenly appeared on the Russian’s doorstep announcing that she just got back from space. That was the day Natasha started to transform little by little and got better. The younger woman could somehow make the day brighter. Heck, just seeing her made Sharon felt lighter. She fussed over Natasha and consoled her when the redhead eventually lost her composure. That was the day the ex-assassin bawled her eyes out, displayed her vulnerabilities, letting go all the sorrows and heartaches she held inside for months.

They talked and talked until Natasha fell asleep clinging to the younger woman. After putting her to bed, Daisy came out to sit on the couch. Sharon got to really check in with her sister. She told her everything that happened since they last saw each other. Told her how their sister-in-law lost it. How they all tried everything but nothing was fruitful. Sharon couldn’t put into words how relieved she was when Daisy promised to stay for a couple of days and tried to drag Natasha out of her funk. Daisy did manage to do just that and Natasha slowly got her shit together. And Sharon would forever be grateful to have Daisy in her corner.

It had been a couple of months since Daisy’s visit. They missed her. They missed Trip too. They knew that both would look after one another. So, colored the Carters very surprised when they saw them on the couch. Both were speechless, their eyes were wide and if their jaws dropped any further, they would be jawless soon.

“Daisy? Trip? Oh my God. You’re back!” Sharon squealed happily and ran to hug Daisy tightly. Kevin was nowhere slower than her. He moved so fast to the couch and engulfed Trip in his arms. After a few thumps on their backs, he let go and changed with Sharon.

“We missed you guys.”

“Where were you all this months?”

“We’ve been worried sick.”

“You didn’t call.”

“When I called you guys, it went to voicemail. I even called Bobbi. They had no idea where you guys were. They promised me to share any info they’d find. Oh. I have to tell them that you’re back.”

As the norm of the Carters, they talked fast and they didn’t even need to breathe. Daisy was chuckling softly. Glancing at Trip, Natasha could see him grinning.

Smiling, Daisy said, “Oh, we’ve been to places. Sorry for not calling.”

“Not that we could though.” Trip interjected. When he glanced at Daisy, she just shrugged “Yeah, we just got back a month ago.”

“You’ve been back a month and yet you didn’t call us?” Sharon asked a little put out that she could have stopped worrying over those two a month ago.

Trip was trying to placate her. “It’s not that unusual for us not calling you guys for weeks on end. Even if we tried, it would not work. Not with the different timelines.”

“We would still answer you even if was in the middle of the night.” The siblings argued.

“Timelines not time zones.” Confusion was evident on the trio’s faces.

When Natasha saw that Trip and Daisy looked at each other, communicating silently with only their eyes, Natasha knew that something big happened. “I guess now that the food is ready, let’s eat lunch and you two could tell us everything.” When they were glancing at each other again, she repeated “everything” in a firm voice. Of course they all agreed. You didn’t disagree when the Black Widow used that tone.

They ate silently for a few bites. The three of them were just waiting for Trip and Daisy to finish eating at least half or their portions. At least they tried. Kevin just could not hold off the suspense anymore. He’d just got to know. Those two always told the best tales of their adventures. They usually failed to keep the goriest parts from being siphoned out of them though. When you have super-secret agents, a superspy ex-assassin and a commander of a secret intelligence organization, you didn’t stand a chance.

“Well, remember the day I visited you before? That was right after I came back from space. In space, we couldn’t contact anyone. Trip was with us for a while when we were orbiting the inner solar system.” Daisy explained.

Then, Trip told them that they dropped him and a couple of agents at an invisible secret station in space which was actually a spaceship S.H.I.E.L.D. commandeered from the extraterrestrials alliance known as the Confederacy, which Fury sort of knew about before he was dusted. He stayed there for a few months, monitoring the atmosphere.

Kevin was feeling incredulous. “You stayed at a secret space station? Fury never said anything about this E.T alliance or the spaceship. What else do you think he kept from us?”

“Well, it’s Fury. His secrets have secrets,” Natasha replied dryly. Then, she looked pointedly at the duo telling them to continue.

“After that, there were only four of us. Traveling along with me were Simmons, Davis and Piper. As I told you previously, we went out there to look for Fitz, Simmons’ husband. Do you remember what I told you about that?” Daisy paused for clarification.

“Yes. You mentioned that everyone was safely back on earth except the scientists, but there was a new threat. That you don’t know how to defeat it. You didn’t reveal much, so we are kinda in the dark here.”

“Exactly. Apparently, there was a group of aliens that jumped from planets to planets and destroyed them when they couldn’t defeat the force that brought about the infestation of the shrikes. Then, they came here, while we were in space.” Trip began telling them about the shrikes.

“What’s these shrikes?” Sharon asked curiously.

“They’re alien parasites that looked like bats. They entered their hosts, killing them, then, took over their body. This alien group hunted and killed them with these special daggers. So, we made bullets out of those daggers.”

Trip and Daisy continued their recount of their experience. They told them how Daisy contained an atomic bomb from flattening an area the size of New York, the state, not the city. How she could turn the shrikes to dust.

“Hold on. Back up a bit. You can turn things to dust? Sis, that’s awesome!” 

“I know” Daisy proudly answered. “But it didn’t come without a cost. I spent quite a few times skirmishing with aliens. Almost got shot with laser guns before I panicked and turned them to dust.” She added, sounding a bit subdued.

Something bad happened then. When Natasha took her hand and looked at her, Daisy’s face fell. “The guns or the aliens?” she asked gently. It was silent for a moment there. Nobody said anything. They just waited patiently. They understood that among them all, Daisy was the one with the least kill count, or so they thought.

It was Trip who answered the question though. “Both.”

After a while, she seemed to feel better. So, they continued. “This group of alien hunters arrived on earth and began to cross off the parasitic hosts. They didn’t care about casualty. Their leader was the most shocking. A total copy of AC.”

“AC as in Agent Coulson?” That really shocked them.

“Yeah. Turned out when we closed the rift of the fear dimension in the Lighthouse – the one I told you guys about a year ago – we sort of opened a portal to another dimension and these beings wanted to conquer our world and repopulate the planet with their people.”

The trio also learned about Sarge and Izel and everything that happened until May was dying in Daisy’s arms. After assuring them that Agent May was fine, they relaxed. They thought that was all until they heard of another enemy that attacked the Lighthouse. Thus, instigating their disappearance.

“You guys have been through a lot but what the hell is a Chronicom?”

So, they explained to them about the Chronicoms and what they did. How they planned to eradicate human beings and make earth their new dwellings. They also mentioned that the other enemies they were facing were involved in the destruction of the Chronicoms’ home planet.

“We were overwhelmed. We never predicted that we had to fight against three enemies at the same time. Then, two of them joined forces. We were separated. Half of our team was at the temple while another half was at the Lighthouse. Fighting beings from another dimension was like stabbing in the dark. Fighting the Chronicoms was a useless battle. We lost many agents that day. If Trip wasn’t there to help Fitz and Simmons evacuated the Lighthouse, we might not be here at all. May and Yo-Yo almost died too. We also lost Davis before the full-fledged battle even began.”

Daisy was looking downcast again when Trip ended his explanation. Both Sharon and Natasha held Daisy’s hands. They knew how much Davis meant to their sister. Her inside guy. Her guinea pig. Her friend. Davis and his wife even made her their son’s godmother. Kevin also looked gloomy. Heck, it was him who recruited the fallen agent. So, they all did know Davis.

The trio found out what the agents did to fix things. About how Fitz and Simmons changed the course of their lives drastically, of them travelling through time, setting back up plans if things went haywire. Sometimes, they went back and forward in time. That was how they got Bobbi, Hunter and Davis on the Zephyr. They also talked about how Daisy and Trip practiced their abilities without restraints. Who they met and what they faced against. They shared the good and the bad experiences while in the past with little filters.

Natasha, Kevin and Sharon were awed with what the two Inhumans went through. They were speechless until they heard about their encounter with Maria Hill in the future. That was when they shot questions after questions.

“Maria?”

“Did you say she’s in the future?”

“That’s impossible. How?”

“We had a scuffle with some mercenaries the day we’re heading back here. Someone accidentally changed the year we’re supposed to travel to when there was an explosion that rocked the Zephyr. We landed in 2023. The flight plan was supposed to be this year, a month ago. Not long before everything went FUBAR. We planned to intercept everything thus, fixing the ruined future. A lot sooner than Thanos’ crap.”

They were confused. “But Thanos already happened last year.”

“True. But he will come back. We’re not sure the exact time as Maria did not really remember everything clearly. She was just resurrected. What happened before that, she had no knowledge of except what was told to her. Plus, her condition did not allow her to store exact details.”

“What about her condition? Is something wrong with her?” Natasha was concerned. She’d always worried when Maria was under the weather.

Silence embedded the atmosphere. It was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Natasha, Sharon and Kevin were looking at the duo. Daisy and Trip on the other hand were looking at each other. Then, they turned to look at Natasha. Daisy was biting her lip, trying to find a gentle way to relay the news. Trip was fidgeting in his seat. Feelings clearly shifted through their expressions.

When Kevin couldn’t take the silence anymore, he whispered, “what happened?”

Seeing that Daisy’s eyes were already glassy, holding back tears, they were getting antsy.

“Up until 2023, aside from Natasha, everybody else drastically changed. Cap was kinda okay. He was out there trying to live. Tony retreated to the countryside away from the others. Banner was fine, I guess. He managed to co-exist with the Hulk. And Barton, after his family was dusted, became Ronin, an assassin for hire, a vigilante that killed those he justified to deserve it. Thor was living in New Asgard in Norway with a few Asgardians who survived. He lost his motivation and turned to the bottles.”

Then, Trip turned to Natasha, eyes soft and proud. “You were the one who kept trying. Never gave up hope to make it a better future. You kept contact with Captain Marvel and worked with Nebula and Rocket. You were the one who glued the team together and always being optimistic that you’d find the way to not despair and to right what was wrong.”

“When Lang came to see you, saying that he found a way, you guys finally found hope. When all of you worked together, you went back to the past.”

“Maria didn’t tell us exactly how you did it. She was distraught since she came back to life only to find you’re not there.” Daisy tried to contain her tears but some eventually dropped; a telling that it was bad enough.

Resigned with her impending death, Natasha murmured shakily, “when? How?”

“Before Thanos arrived. You guys were on a quest in space.”

“We video called Sharon that day. She said that the Avengers went to collect the stones. In the past and in space. When Thanos found out what you did, he came here and announced war. She was not clear how that was possible. But, we believed that he might be from the past. He probably got words of your quests and used the Time stone to travel to the future.”

That was the only possibility that they can think of. So, they couldn’t really utilize the Zephyr if they didn’t know when or where to go. If there was any way, they hadn’t got any idea what it was and how to go about it because Fate seemed determined that they do not use Time to cheat the future this time around. So, they were left at an impasse.

They told them what Maria shared. They regaled how the Avengers fought the mad Titan. How everyone dusted five years ago were brought to life and fought in the battle. In the end, the universe was protected but many were dead, including Tony and Natasha. The world mourned them and showed appreciation for their sacrifices by cherishing their legacies.

“She asked me to send a message to you.” Looking at Natasha, Daisy gave her a watery smile. “She said to tell you that, dead or alive, you’ll always be together. She loves you no matter where you are.”

The silence that followed was painful. Natasha who managed to stay emotionless throughout the whole tale was trying her best to hold on to her composure. But towards the end, there was a crack in her blank expression signaling that she was terribly affected by this. Who wouldn’t when told of their imminent deaths and was sent a love message by the wife who died?

“How is she after…” her voice cracked and she couldn’t finish her sentence, but the others perfectly grasped her line of questioning.

“How were you when you found out she was among the dusted?” Daisy whispered softly after a long while of silence.

“I see.”

She felt so much when she lost Maria. It was really painful that she was full of unbridled sorrow and couldn’t do anything. Not even to take care of herself. She never thought she’d be so brokenhearted and that it was unbearably excruciating. Feeling raw and dreamt that Maria was alive or wished she died alongside her wife. Succumbing to the pain of losing her love that made her absent-minded; so lost in memories that she went through life on autopilot. The most helpless and hopeless she ever felt. The pitiful state she was before Daisy came back almost a year later.

Taking a deep breath and centering herself, she looked at her family. She made them promised that should that future come, no matter what, they would not let Maria despaired and depressed. She almost pleaded with them to make sure that her wife was not left alone, that they would support her and help her to get back on her feet and be strong again. She asked them to tell Maria that she never gave up. That even if she was not beside her, her spirit would always will. To constantly remind her that Natasha always loved her and that she was the best version of herself when she was with her wife. That come what may, she must continue living and thrived. For the world needed Maria Hill as much as Natasha Romanoff needed her.

They sank into a melancholic state for a few minutes, mourning the supposed future full of heartaches. After a while, they composed themselves and began to seriously discuss on what they could do to prevent the catastrophe.

Later that afternoon, the Carters and Trip left. Daisy decided to stay for the duration of her vacation at the apartment. For two weeks, Natasha brought Daisy to the facility the Avengers were using and introduced her to those who were new there. There were not a lot of people though, but they were able to spar a bit.

She brightened up when she saw Wanda and vice versa. When Pietro died, she was hysterical. She was sad and depressed that she retreated into herself. It took the others days to just cajole her to come out of her room. When Daisy left Natasha’s apartment two months ago, she went to the Avengers facility to check on the others, well, mostly checked on Wanda and cheered her up a bit.

A year after her brother’s death, Wanda was still mourning him. She became quiet. She was still coming for practice but sometimes her focus was somewhere else. Daisy stayed for the night at the facility. That night, she made Wanda laughed for the first time in months. They spent the night watching movies and talking, just catching up on each other’s life. After Daisy left, Wanda seemed to feel lighter and she smiled more often.

Now that they see each other again, Natasha can see that Wanda smiled brightly. This made Natasha glad. She worried about her. The girls spent a few minutes talking animatedly before Cap arrived and joined the conversation. He suggested them all to spar and since Daisy was there, Wanda could practice fighting using her power more. So they did.

She also met Nebula and Princess Shuri who were visiting for a few days. They struck up a friendship and shared contact information. She also talked science and tech with them and Rocket. Apparently, they all lived there.

Daisy also dragged Natasha to visit their friends and family. They stayed a couple of days at Tony’s during which Daisy teased them to get a kid already. They also went to a charity ball for children as Natasha had started a foundation for children, which was also backed by her and Daisy’s secret corporate personas. It was something they discussed on Daisy’s previous visit. They visited the other Carters – with the intention to catch up and fill them in on the incoming battle. They also went out a few times, playing tourists or just hanging out at an out of the way waterhole. Sometimes the others would join them.

In between outings with Natasha and Sharon, Daisy went out alone. She met her best friends from the orphanage and the street. She went to see Matt at his office. She visited Jessica at her apartment and little Kamala and Gwen at their base. She even met with some of her contacts in the hacking community, building the network that would probe closeted information and relayed them to her.

She didn’t forget to contact some of her shadier friends and a few of those resourceful ones. She might get to learn a new thing or two, which they could use to fight in the coming years. She also got to meet her lawyers and business representatives to catch up on her interests as well as her legal and financial affairs.

Natasha and Daisy even spent a few days in Tahiti with May. When her three weeks was up, Trip arrived at the apartment with the Carters. Once everything was packed, they said goodbye. Hugs were exchanged and words were traded.

“Be careful and take care. Please do keep in contact.”

“We’ll try. And guys, you too.”

“At least tell us before you go off the grid, okay?”

“Alright, but no promises.”

Then, they were off.


	7. Verses of Destiny

Not long after Daisy and Trip drove away, the quinjet lifted off. There were only two persons on board. May was flying towards Pennsylvania to visit her mom. Since Piper’s destination was en route that way, they flew together. They never flew together with just the two of them. There was never a need to do so. If it was a couple of years ago, Piper would feel really awkward. Who wouldn’t when you’re flying alone with the Cavalry, right? The silence was enough to make you felt as though you did something wrong. But after a few years working and training together, it was a comfortable silence. Piper expected the flight to be silent till they reached her destination. So, when May spoke, she was a bit startled.

They made small talk before they moved on to the doomed future. May hinted about a rough plan that looked like Piper would be a part of. They talked about Daisy fondly and most of the time exasperatedly. She was working with a vengeance. Training, planning and designing. When did the girl ever sleep? Just the other day Piper found her napping in the server room of all place. They even discussed some of Daisy’s experiments because let’s get real, besides Piper and Davis, May was another of her guinea pigs.

May also subtly raised her concern about what would happen if others found out the real Daisy. Would they feel betrayed that Daisy was many things they never ever imagined? That may cause a rift within the team again. They both reflected on the time when the team broke apart. Piper still couldn’t believe that that even occurred.

If only they knew what the Inhuman had done all these years. They’d be surprised. Heck, she was the one who helped Fitz with the specs for the Zephyr One. Not that anyone knew as she erased all evidence of her fiddling with Fitz’s computer. She also erased the security footage. Piper caught her doing that before. She sometimes imagined the looks on their faces if they found out who her family was and who paid their paychecks. It seemed that some agents forgot that they were on their own – financially – most of the time, meaning that S.H.I.E.L.D. had no back up reserves from the government. They’d be very surprised and terrified at the same time.

Nowadays, they knew more about Daisy little by little especially her intelligence. How would they not when they were witnesses to everything she did and what they had on the Zephyr One for a year? When they were in space, Daisy was their technical expert who dealt with all the Z1’s overall well-being. The team did have another genius on board. One who didn’t flaunt it but accomplished just as much as anyone else if not more. For Piper, Daisy’s accomplishments were outstanding, and she was not biased in this observation. Well, maybe a bit but it was justified.

Piper reassured her superior that she had the Inhuman’s back. Heck, Daisy Johnson was the one who recruited her when she was building her Secret Warrior team. She trained her in many things before she sent her to S.H.I.E.L.D. Not that many people knew that. Furthermore, her family trusted Piper to have her back. To say that she was honored was an understatement. Moreover, having some certain notorious people on speed dial was a privilege. Admittedly that she had to go through a few filters in order to reach them, but if the worst came to pass, she’d be able to contact them.

~~~~####~~~~

After dropping Piper, May continued to her mom’s place. She spent a couple of days there, catching up with her mom. They discussed a lot of things. Her mom even told her to bring Daisy for a visit. Ever since she first met the girl, Lian struck up a good rapport with Daisy, who soaked up the attention like a starved kid. She even let her protégé called her _Popo_ – maternal grandmother in Mandarin. After two days and a promise to bring Daisy when she came home next time, May went to visit her father for a couple days before she took off to Tahiti.

When she arrived at the beach house in Tahiti, she was welcomed by two persons. She called when they first got back and was relieved that they made it. There waiting for her were a healthy Coulson and Davis, or more specifically LMD Davis.

When they traveled to the past, they mourned Davis’ death as they didn’t have the time to do so before everything went sideways especially Piper and Daisy. When both girls came to a decision, they shared it with May and Trip who supported it. Kevin’s rookie was someone you’d want on your side.

Not liking losing a good friend who was also a good agent, Daisy and May vetoed any protests against the idea of substituting Davis with an LMD before Izel killed him. There were people who did that by saying that they might compromise the future but Daisy very firmly said that what they were doing was basically the same thing by going back to the past and Mack agreed with her. Even LMD Coulson supported the idea. The complexity of that save was unthinkable but with wit and wisdom along with a little help of power and technology, they did it. It was teamwork at its best.

Therefore, they went back to a specific time before he died, downloaded him and put an LMD in his place, in between the moment right after Izel left his body and before he hit the floor. With Trip’s glamour and the teleportation disc they looted from the Chronicoms, they managed to trick the creator of the shrikes and their past selves that Davis fell to his death. For the team, the Davis who died was just a robot. Admittedly, they had to watch the real scene a few times before they ironed out the timing right. It was painful but the outcome worth so much more.

The real Davis then joined the crew of Z1. The dead LMD was also brought along on the Zephyr and repaired with upgrades. May and Daisy made sure of that. Nobody knew what the girls planned to do with it. But the agents learned that you didn’t question them. Just follow what they told you.

During their time travel, when they met a younger Nick Fury, they told him about the drugs that can be developed from the blue alien. When they met him again, they forced Fury to give them the code phrase of the GH laboratory, citing that it could help the future. So, they went to that laboratory with Daisy, Piper, Trip and May were tasked to get the GH-325 vials, not long before the time Daisy was shot by Ian Quinn.

They also took samples of other drugs, the alien’s DNA and downloaded all the data in the server plus any paperwork that they found. It was a side mission for them but only among them. Daisy planned to research them secretly when she was able to do so. She wanted to know more about the Kree’s genetic markup that was a part of the Inhumans.

Their next plan was to go to Tahiti. Not immediately though. There were a few things to prepare and execute first. However, when they did get to the island, they couldn’t just come out of nowhere at the beach house especially when the couple knew that they were out in space during the time frame. So, they did it stealthily.

They followed May and Coulson to the market. They saw that the couple stopped at a booth that read fortune - something they never thought the older couple would entertain. Daisy felt that the woman who was telling the fortune looked very familiar. Like the gypsy she met a long time ago. They heard the verses read to the couple. May still remembered what she heard a year ago. It was the same one they heard now. It was the exact verse she heard over a decade ago; but May only recalled this hours later.

When the past May and Coulson moved to another booth, they split the team. Trip, Deke and Fitz were to follow them while Future May and Daisy hung around that part of the market for a while, mentioning that they were going to investigate the woman. May was confused at first why Daisy wanted to do that but when she recalled the readings, she became curious. So, she followed her mentee’s footsteps towards the fortune teller.

~~~~####~~~~

“Excuse me.” She knew that this day would come. She’d been expecting it. Ramona looked up and smiled.

“Hello Mary.” She could see the surprise written on the woman’s face, which morphed to realization then to assurance. “It’s been a long time.” Then, she looked at the older woman, who was looking at her suspiciously. “How long has it been since we last met, Agent May?” Needless to say that Agent May was shocked though her face remained mostly blank. But Ramona learned to read micro expressions. 

“Last time I saw you, it was at the carnival in Chicago. I would say 25 years? That seems about right.” The girl answered while eyeing her dubiously. 

“Ah,” Ramona sighed, “yes, in 1994. You’ve grown well.” She was relieved to see that the little girl grew up well. “So, what do you go by these days? I’m assuming that you’re no longer Mary.”

“How did you–” the woman paused. “ –right. You’re a Seer.” Ramona just smiled. She always knew that the girl was one bright kid. “I’m Daisy now. You’ve seen this, right? Things that happened?” The fortune teller nodded. “You knew what I’d go through.”

“Not exactly. I just see things that might happen but I didn’t see the whole thing.” The gypsy explained.

“But you sorta saw what happened to me and Clint.” The young woman, Daisy now, inquired.

“You could say that. His destiny has been met. Yes, he still has a long road ahead of him like everyone else but the worst was behind him for now.”

Looking at Agent May, Ramona asked, “did everything I said to you happen?” when the older woman nodded, the fortune teller sighed.

“Now, comes the most difficult part of the prophecy.”

“What kind of prophecy are you talking about?” 

“You know of it. You’re preparing for it. Do you remember yours?” When Daisy nodded, she looked at her expectantly.

“What? You want me to recite it?” she asked incredulously.

“Nah. Not all. Just a few that you think are important.” Ramona just wanted to know some facts to confirm the prophecy.

“Alright. FYI, I remember it word for word.” She expected just as much from a genius.

“One of the lines was ‘ _You transform your life and are reborn like a flower blossoms after the rain’._ This particular line could refer to my name. I realized it not long after I found out. Or it could also mean how my life changed and the new me was born.”

“The second one was:

_‘_ _Your curse is your gift,_

_Though it causes you pain never you fear in taking risks,_

_For you won’t suffer for long,_

_Cause what hurts you is what makes you strong.’_

"I believe this part was foreshadowing the challenges I face as well as my power. And the last part could be interpreted in two or more ways. One is that I would go beyond the skies. Which I did. Named myself Skye and then I went on to become who I am today. Second, it could be that I would be successful if I just open my eyes and take risks, which, again, I did. The third one would be the literal sky and I did spend almost a year in space.” She spoke thoughtfully.

All through her interpretations, Ramona nodded and beamed proudly at Daisy. “What about the rest? Did they come through?” When Daisy confirmed it, she felt reassured. “Are you confident with your abilities and your resources that you would beat this next tragedy?” This girl would be an essential cog wheel in this part of the universe.

She saw Daisy gulped, taking a breath or two. She probably didn’t know how to answer that. So, she gave a vague one. “It all depends on all the variables in this prophecy.” Ramona accepted that. It was true after all. They needed all the pieces to complete this fucking puzzle of fate. Sometimes, she wondered why she was the one saddled with this. It was very tiring. She came out of her musings when the girl spoke again.

“You spoke to May as well. We heard the verse.”

“Yes, I did. And we just confirmed earlier that it did follow through.” She could see both women agreed with her.

“So, all these verses are parts of the same prophecy?”

“Yes. But the worst is yet to come. You need to collect all the pieces and complete the puzzle. Then, we’d have a fighting chance in this lifetime.” Ramona couldn’t waste more time. She already saw all of them. Time was not on their side. However, they have yet to move to the one place they needed to be. And yet she was comforted with the knowledge that Daisy was connected to most of them. It didn’t matter how many trials and errors they’d gone through, they’d make it. She saw the one out of two plausible timelines that was safe but in order to reach there, they had to do things the right way.

“These pieces…are they weapons or people?” Agent May queried. She seemed to starting to get the picture of this.

“Both.” It was a simple answer. Yet, it brought such an interesting change to Daisy’s expressions and posture. A simple ‘oh’ left her lips.

Silence descended upon them until Daisy broke it. Thus, ensuing a rapid fire Q&A session, which delighted Ramona because now that she had lined up every verse (that meant meeting people told in the divination except those not on earth) and fully comprehended it, she could give them straight answers. She was so tired of talking riddles regarding this bloody lengthy prophecy. Why couldn’t all prophecies be straight forward?

“So, how long is this entire prophecy?”

“Very long. If you were to scribe it on parchments, you’d need a couple dozens of them. No. you’d probably need more.”

“That long!?” Ramona nodded.

“How many people are involved?” May questioned.

“Too many. And they’re all connected to you, Daisy.”

“What? How?”

“Yeah. Who are they? And why me?” disbelief colored her tone.

She clarified to the agents some of the pieces including names that should not be there. “You’ve met them all bar a few that would only be instrumental in the later part of the divination.”

“Wait. This prophecy isn’t about the attack at the Lighthouse and the fight at the temple?” She could see that both women were confused.

“No. This is much worse. A few years after you return to your timeline.” Ramona could see both agents were stunned that she knew of their jaunt through time.

“How did you know that?”

“I’m a seer, remember?”

“Oh…”

“You mean Daisy is the center point of cleaning up this mess?”

“Affirmative.” Daisy was not convinced. She was just a normal person. There was no way that she'd be the center of something this huge.

“Any more hints as to who they all are?”

“Some are your family and friends. Some of them are those whom you met when you were young. Some others are those you met as an adult. The rest are those you’re allied with in the past, the present and in times to come.”

“Let me guess. All my siblings and cousins?” Ramona nodded.

Some of them are the Avengers?” A nod.

“Some others are agents?” Another nod.

“Some of the names you mentioned are dead.” Yet another nod.

“Then, how would they be a part of the prophecy?” Ramona hesitated a bit. She was not sure whether she should tell the two women this future information. However, if telling them would make everything easier, then, she guessed she should.

“What aren’t you telling us?” Daisy looked at Ramona suspiciously.

“I don’t know how they’d be resurrected but it is mentioned in the verses.”

“People don’t come back to life after death. What are you talking about?”

“They could when magic or magical items are used.”

“Like the Infinity Stones…”

“That’s right.”

“Are you telling us that we need to go looking for them? That’s impossible because the stones were already destroyed. And we can’t use the Zephyr to go looking for them because then, it would affect everything we’ve done.”

“Yes, the gems were all destroyed but somehow, someone who is a part of the divination found a way to acquire them. But none of you agents. So, you don’t have to think about finding them because you have your own tasks to do.”

“Okay…So, this was how the dead are resurrected?”

“I don’t know. But they will come back.”

Partially reassured, Daisy continued probing, even though she felt weirded out talking about resurrecting dead people. “Some pieces are in space, right?” Ramona gave her a firm nod. Daisy remembered the small number of allies she made on her space travel. She was positive they were the ones in the divination. Which other Inhumans she knew of that originated from the moon? She only met three a few months after they went to space.

“You said that I’ll collect all the pieces, that I’m the core to this prophecy.” Ramona simply bobbed her head.

“How was that possible? Why me? Do all of us have our own personal verse?”

“Because there are references in the divination and yes.”

“Were theirs…ummm…very long? I remember that mine was very long. While the one you read to May was pretty short. Clint’s was half the length of mine, I guess. Do the others’ are as long as mine?” she slowly questioned the gypsy.

“Some are long, others are not. But yeah, yours is the longest.” She confirmed. “And when you look at the whole thing, there is a hint in everyone’s verses that relates to you. It is clear that you’re the glue that would bind every piece together.” It had to be. She did not want to be wrong in her interpretations. Or she’d be the laughing stock of Mount Olympus.

Not long after that they part ways, but not before Daisy asked for a way to contact her. So, they exchanged phone numbers and emails. She may be ancient but she was not impartial to modernization. She also asked Daisy whether the bag she gave her years ago was still in her possession. When she said yes, Ramona told her to check inside the bag and hold on to them all.

“You’ll find some answers in there.”

~~~~####~~~~

They walked silently. Each woman was deep in thought. Shaking themselves out of their musings, they quickened their steps to catch up with the other team. Both agents promised to discuss this in length later. When their comms crackled with Fitz telling them that the couple was home, they walked straight to the beach house.

Back at the beach house, the team was conversing with past May and Coulson. They were trying to convince Coulson to take the drug. At first, he was adamant that he didn’t want it. That it was time. He didn’t want to go through the madness he experienced a few years ago. Didn’t want his memories erased. The team did not agree with him. They argued that the symptoms would come to pass because they already knew where the Kree city was as that was what all the GH patients were looking for. They destroyed it, dammit! So, memory wipe was not even needed.

The rest did their best to sway the man. Coulson admitted that he was considering it now that they’d asserted their views. It was a heated argument of one man against the whole team. Only when May called him selfish and irresponsible and berated him on his actions and their consequences did he give in. It was the longest and the most obvious that May had ever scolded him; after which, everybody fell quiet. That moment gave the older man the time to guiltily ponder their words before coming to a conclusion. Coulson, now realizing that he was being selfish and irresponsible, as May once pointed, eventually agreed to the injection.

The team told them to follow what their other selves did. May was to return to the Lighthouse on the date she was supposed to return. They told her the specifics and expected her to follow it while keeping this encounter to herself. Coulson was told to rest and get better soon. They would leave LMD Davis there as their assistant. They loaded him with information about the symptoms and what to do to help; thanks to the report from the lab as well as their own opinions.

So, in the fixed timeline, Coulson was actually in rehab, building himself while everybody thought he died again except May. While battling Sarge, Coulson’s doppelgänger, May thought that if a part of Coulson was in there, he could be redeemed and maybe helped in the future. They did need all the help that they could. Alas, it was not meant to be and she got a long stab wound for that.

~~~~####~~~~

It had been a year since he was in Tahiti with LMD Davis. Now, that they were back from time travelling, it was time for them to proceed with their next plan, which they lumped on Coulson’s shoulder right before they – from the future – departed last year.

He greeted May lovingly. A hug. A kiss. An even longer and more passionate kiss full of love and longing. Holding hands, they walked into the house to get away from the sun, trying to catch up with each other. She’d spent the rest of her vacation on the island. All that was missing was Daisy. Then, they’d have their perfect little family. He missed that girl. The closest he had to a daughter. But he was assured that the young woman would come visiting soon with a company in tow. They had business to discuss and plans to carry out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a reference to the allies Daisy made during her space travel in my other fic – Case File: Shenanigans in Space. Both stories are interrelated.


	8. Project: Classified

_Tahiti_

“How are we going to do this?” They just had dinner but Coulson was pumped up with this project. So, he couldn’t even wait for coffee before they started this informal meeting.

“By following the plan. No changes are to be made without noticing any of us as they could affect the whole structure.”

“Fair point.”

“When and where do we build it?” That was May. Direct and straight to the point.

“We’ll start the second phase of the construction as soon as we could liquefy some assets. It could take a couple weeks for such a large amount. The current cash flow we have after the first phase won’t be enough. Besides, it’s a secret project. So, we’ll have to build it in the hidden valley. The concept is pretty similar to the Lighthouse and it should be movable.”

“I still couldn’t believe that you guys were actually involved in designing the Lighthouse.” Coulson was astonished.

“Nah, we just chipped in a few ideas, that’s all.” She just shrugged it off like it was not even important.

“That was not the only thing you did.” Coulson was intrigued with this new tidbit but they were telling him no more than what he needed to know. He suspected that was his punishment for annoying the ladies back when he was dying. So, he diverted the conversation.

“Won’t you be under scrutiny if they found out a large sum is siphoned to a secret project?” he was a bit worried about that.

“Well, maybe. However, we’ve considered that and a lot of other factors. This would be under a ghost project, funded privately, not by a company or an organization. Besides, there’ll be no paper trails. Once the fund is secured, I’ll erase everything.”

“This venture costs billions. Are you sure there’ll be no problem later on?”

“There shouldn’t be any problem.”

“Are you sure?” Coulson was a bit unconvinced. It was a large amount.

“Yup. I’m positive.” Daisy said smiling confidently.

They turned to look at the person sitting on the armchair when the redhead snorted. “She’s in the same league as Stark moneywise.” Smirking at the wide-eyed older couple, she added, “If you include Maria’s and the Carters’ accumulated wealth and well, mine, which may not be as much as Stark or Daisy but we could give them a competition, this project is secured financially.”

Both Coulson and May were in continuous surprise when they blurted, “What?”

“We know you guys are rich but we’re talking billions here.”

“Natasha.” Daisy hissed softly. She sounded uncomfortable talking about this. They all usually were. Yet, she continued. “And if you add Quinn’s and Malick’s combined financial affairs, then, even Stark couldn’t compare to Daisy.”

“Wait, what? I don’t understand.”

“Since they hurt her, we exacted revenge on them posthumously.” She stated meanly before pausing theatrically. “We transferred the ownership of those two goons’ holdings to Daisy under assumed names.”

“And the assets I’m liquefying? They’re theirs. After everything they put us through, it’s fitting that we use their money to safeguard our planet. So, if anybody is being nosy enough, all they could trace – not that they could – are breadcrumbs leading to dead men.

“And dead men don’t talk.”

“Therefore, let’s not worry about that.”

“So, regarding Phase Two, we’re going to send your LMD and a few new ones to the valley. They should be able to help that base’s commander handles the construction project.”

“Now, aren’t you glad to know that she was saved years ago?”

“It was one of the best saves.”

“Indeed it was.”

“Well, I guess, the meeting is adjourned then.”

“Good night.”

“Night, you two.”

“No hacking tonight, Daisy.” 

“I wasn’t planning to.” She said innocently. May just raised her eyebrows.

She just rolled her eyes. The downside of having parents. “Fine. Good night.”

~~~~####~~~~

Earlier on, when Natasha and Daisy first arrived at the beach house, they spent a few hours just chatting and relaxing with their hosts. Then, they proceeded to check on the progress of their large scale project. They read the progress report on the way there. So, they knew what to expect.

After lunch, Coulson led them all across the large backyard to a shack at the back of the house. Once he completed a biometric scan on a hidden access panel, the door opened quietly. The four of them entered the small room before the door closed with a press of a button. The floor then moved downward at an impressive speed. When the door opened again, they were in a secret base under the property of the beach house. One of the first they planned in the past.

The first phase of the project was to prepare safe houses followed by building some small bases and a number of larger ones. This was one of the larger bases. Besides that, the base also jutted out into the sea. They were after all on a stretch of private islands. So the base was actually connected to a few islands. Each had its particular aspect to focus on.

This base was large enough to house an alien flagship they confiscated from the Confederacy back in 2018 and a few other toys. They refurbished and repurposed the spaceship to their specifications. Based on the knowledge that Fitz, Deke and Daisy had, along with recommendations from those who had been to space, they managed to modify it to better suit their needs. Now, they let it float in the orbit with only a skeleton crew and it became their invisible space station – for now.

Under the water, the base also housed a few upgraded helicarriers a few sizes smaller than their predecessors, but still large enough to be their mobile HQ, in different stages of progress. With new specs, they were a lot more energy efficient, had better defensive features and serious firepower with loads of offensive weapons, not to mention a nicer interior with upgraded techs and more adaptable functions.

The new version of the flying fortress was able to stay in the air, in the water and underwater for longer periods before refueling. A special helicarrier was also underway with an extra function. It was to be space ready by the time Stage 1 of Phase Two was complete.

During the tour, Coulson showed Natasha and Daisy every crook and cranny of the secret base. It was the second largest underground base they had. There was another one hidden deep in an uninhabited valley somewhere on the planet.

Before they returned to the beach house for dinner, he explained that the bases (that he knew of) were finished except one. It was not yet started as it was the second phase of the project. They only had to wait for it to be green-lighted to begin construction but before that they needed to finalize the ultimate plan and confirmed resources. That base would take the longest time to complete because of its sheer size and functions.

~~~~####~~~~

_Some time ago._

There were six people in the safe house. A redhead, a brunette, a blonde, a dark-haired lady, a muscular dude and a man wearing an eye-patch. Drinking tea or coffee depending on their preferences, they sat at the round coffee table. Each was reading a document from the opened folder on the coffee table. Once in a while they would hum or tilt their heads or play with their hair. Then, they exchanged the documents and began to engross themselves with the new one. When all documents passed their perusal, they sit back and finished their drinks.

“So, who came out with this?” The man with the eye-patch asked.

“It was a collective idea.” The tallest lady answered.

“So, what do you think?” The brunette sounded indifferent with just a little hint of curiosity.

“It’s a sound idea.” He truly believed so.

“How so?” The blonde queried.

“It’s very practical and covers a lot of grounds.”

The redhead snorted softly. “Of course it is. We didn’t just come up with it all randomly expecting others to finish with the planning. We hashed out the details it needs.”

“When are we commencing?” The muscular dude asked.

“If we have the resources, then, as soon as possible. The only problem is money. How do we fund this project? It’s a mega project. From the estimations in the documents, it costs trillions. Money we don’t have.”

“In terms of finances, we have no problem.” The ex-Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. dismissed the concern. “What we have are issues like manpower and supervision.”

Nick Fury was baffled. “Where would we get the funds? You do realize that we no longer have extensive financial reserves, right? Neither from the U.S. government nor the U.N.”

“The project would be privately funded.” Answered the blonde offhandedly.

“By who? Stark? I thought he doesn’t sponsor S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. Only the Avengers.”

“A loaded family. Not Stark. He knows none of this.” Hill answered firmly.

“Which family? I don’t know any one generous or crazy enough to sponsor us. Especially after the fall.” Fury was not convinced. But the smirks on their faces unnerved him.

“The Carters of course.” Kevin Carter just shrugged as though the revelation was nothing prominent.

“The Carters? The only ones I know are the two of you,” he pointed towards Sharon and Kevin. Only for the woman to casually say “There are more of us.” Now he was intrigued. Who are the other Carters?

“Do I know them?”

“Of course. You’ve met them. You’re even talking and working with them.” the male Carter clarified.

“I have no idea who they are. I don’t recall any other Carter except you two and your great aunt.” He bemused. He was being truthful there. He had no intel of other Carters.

“That’s because they don’t use Carter.” Romanoff said smugly. It was a closely guarded information. Only a few knew about it and they would never disclose it carelessly. This was their best kept secret.

“Then, what do they call themselves?” Fury was getting impatient. He also didn’t like not knowing things. That didn’t sit well with him. He was the one with secrets. He even made sure his secrets had secrets.

Putting a finger on his chin, Carter looked at him amusedly. “Let see, some of them go by Hill, Johnson and Romanoff.”

That resulted in Fury’s wide-eyed façade of total shock and caused him to stutter slightly “W- What?” He did not stutter, dammit. “Wait, you said some. You mean there are more than five of you?” He couldn’t believe this. How did this info get past his knowledge?

So, they told him that yes, there were more of them and yes they were not doing too badly moneywise. Besides, it’d be Johnson who would be the main sponsor as she was the richest. Even more so than Stark. Not that Fury knew that they’d be using the resources requisitioned from immoral tycoons who dipped their toes too far and lost in conflicts against them. The rest would only chip in if needed. So, they didn’t have to worry about funding their mega project.

Fury was not expecting this. Never would he anticipate that five of his agents were filthy rich that they didn’t seem bothered by the amount of money they’d spend on a yet to be executed ghost project.

He was sure that they didn’t tell all. Only selected information. Fucking spies. Though, to be honest, he really liked the idea the family hatched. They were a formidable clan no sane person with a slice of intelligence would ever think to go against. A master manipulator, an amazing tactician and a genius Inhuman magnate. The other two were an expert medical specialist/undercover agent and an astute investigator/close-quarter-combat specialist.

All were master interrogators and weapon and combat experts. All were imposing wealthy superspies who had a tendency to go further than instructed in ruthlessness – veiled and otherwise. They were people Fury trusted, who would always have his back. Who would follow his lead despite protests and hardheadedness. The perfect team though he was suspicious of the youngest one in the beginning, he now knew that she was the one with the most options.

When the shock wore off, they discussed more about the plan. Who would be in charge of the project? How would they protect all these assets? They also debated some issues that may arise and their suitable solutions. They would cover the constructions as private properties for personal or business uses. Others would be built in total secret. They could always work under the radar. How were they going to do that, Fury had no idea. They said they had their ways. And he had faith in them.

It went on for another hour before Fury left to his hideout and the Carters stayed there for another day for a much needed family time. Besides, now that they knew about it, they were celebrating their sister’s real birthday for the first time, which she finally found out after years of searching about her origin. Afterwards, joined by the rest of their clan, they enjoyed themselves immensely and cherished the time they had at the gathering. It was the last time they spent together before all hell broke loose and family reunion was put on hold.

~~~~####~~~~

_Present time_

There was only static before the video call connected through on a very secure server. Not long after that, three faces appeared on the screen. They greeted each other and spent a minute or two playing catch up before they talk business.

“I am happy to announce that we had initiated Phase Two of Project Olympus.”

“Brilliant! The rest would be happy with this. So, give us some details.”

“AC returned to base like we planned and swapped places with his LMD who will be in the valley to spearhead Phase Two. LMD Davis is still stationed near Tahiti and would resume heading the project at Aquaria.” Daisy started the report on their classified plan.

The whole project was a mission of immense proportion. Operation: Long Years of Mankind Protection and Universal Safety (OLYMPUS) was a crazy undertaking. They were building bases big and small; and upgrading defensive and offensive weaponries. Readying all movable assets with multiple functions. Stashing away resources and trusted cronies. Trusting A.I.s with secured tasks. They had to be constantly on the lookout if things went south.

“How would she take it? Tori was never fond of Coulson.” They snickered.

“His LMD has more tricks up his sleeves. She’s gonna be more irritated.” Kevin grinned slyly.

“Now, that is something I’d like to see.” Sharon chuckled.

“Hmm…maybe I should go visit her and watch her steaming in annoyance. Perhaps I could record her blowing her top. That would be useful for blackmail later.” Kevin added wickedly.

“You mean _you_ would be the annoyance.”

Despite her stern façade, the Carters had no qualm in teasing or annoying the no nonsense Victoria Hand. Going back to see Fury and told him to duplicate Agent Hand before Hydra came out of the shadow or to at least give him the coordinate of her whereabouts so that help came sooner was one of the best decisions they made. Though they were confused as both Fury and Hand seemed to already know about that and got it handled.

It was always a mystery for the clan (even before the agents went time travel) how she managed to survive with such injuries. She did say that a woman warned her about a life ended situation a few days before Ward shot her and she was also the one who healed her or at least kept her alive long enough until help arrived – in the form of one of their cousins who was a doctor, and they had to resuscitate her twice before she stabilized. The only thing that differed from the original timeline was that their cousin arrived a lot earlier and Hand did not lose so much blood like she did before.

After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., she was recuperating in hiding at one of the Carter’s hideouts. Later, when they began Project Olympus, she was sent to supervise the construction of a few bases including Aquaria in Tahiti (not that Fury was aware that they already started this project prior to the discussion with him) before she was stationed to oversee the building of a large base in a hidden valley, to which she was appointed as its Commander upon completion.

“They have their own assignments. One is to head Phase Two. The other is the Commander of the base he is freeloading at.” The redhead said wryly.

“Let’s hope they don’t butt head too often. We don’t need anything hampering the plan.”

Then Natasha asked the rest of them the progression of their part of the venture. “Right. Moving on. Sharon, you checked on the completion of half of Phase One. How was it?”

“Everything is according to plan. I’ve gone to every safe house. They’re ready.”

When they looked at Kevin to find out about the other half of Phase 1, he moved his head up and down signaling his end of the report was complete too.

“New versions of mobile command units are still underway. We finished some. If there is a need, they can be dispatched.”

“And now, we wait till Phase Two is complete.”

“What about the Shadow Protocol?”

“Still in its planning stage. I’m still lining things up.” Daisy exhaled. The others gave her encouraging looks. “This is probably the hardest ops we’re in.” They nodded but kept quiet. All of them knew that this new protocol would affect many. They just hoped that everything went smoothly.

~~~~####~~~~

Many years passed by. Life went on. S.H.I.E.L.D. was legal again. Major players were informed of the impending doom. The Avengers got ready to fight the next battle, which they didn’t really have the details of. Heck, nobody really did. They were also working on finding ways to rectify the destruction from five years ago. Stark kept on making strong weapons they can use in fight, but kept out of the limelight. They became desperate when no headway was made, until Scott Lang knocked on their door; and they were off to collect the infinity stones – with Natasha aware of her impending doom.

Phase two of Project Olympus was complete. The latest base they built as a space station was already launched into the orbit, using a phase harmonic teleportation device they modified and upgraded from the Jump Drive they used on the Zephyr, a few months from the day they accidentally arrived from the past before. Daisy and her associates that were in the know had finished the fortification of the new base. Coulson, May, Fitz and Simmons were there doing the final touch on the space station.

All spaceships they commandeered during their space trips were repurposed and stationed at the base. A few newly built helicarriers that were equipped with functions in the vacuum of space were also docked there. They were an essential factor in accelerating the space station completion. Not long after that, earth had its new protection agency that dealt with threats from space. They called it Sentient World Observation and Response Department, which admittedly was a mouthful. So, in keeping with tradition, they simply called its abbreviated version – S.W.O.R.D. Yep, another alphabet agency.

Back on earth, Bobbi & Hunter were tasked to stock the bases up with sustenance and other necessities, just in case. Some were recruiting agents and consultants. Others were breaking their backs training for all possible outcomes.

The key members of the council that presided over Project Olympus and the Shadow Protocol made sure that everything was done precisely as planned. They also brainstormed emergency procedures. Additionally, they recruited Ramona, the gypsy fortune teller into their ranks. She did a wonderful job as a member of the council. She was also very helpful in training especially with those who had powers.

Daisy went out to space a few times for her secret missions that were absolutely classified on a new generation Zephyr Line she spearheaded. They called it Zephyr Two or Z2 – courtesy of Coulson who was as uncreative as a person could get. He just couldn’t find a different name, could he? Well, at least he didn’t name it Lulu or Lucy or worse Lola 2. The team agreed to never let him name any of their new inventions again.

Accompanying her were only a few agents, whom were exchanged with another after they completed a cycle of space travel. Her constant crew would be Davis or Piper or both, and Sharon or Kevin, Trip, Wanda, Ramona or Regina – the doctor that saved Hand, who happened to be a member of the Carter Clan. They decided that there must be at least one medical personnel on each voyage – though Ramona, Piper and Daisy were not that bad in that area, they would usually be occupied with other things especially if they were in danger.

May and Natasha also joined her short term voyages once or twice. Even Princess Shuri, Rocket and Nebula joined her short trips once. It was on one of these journeys that they found Lady Sif, trapped on a planet she was sent to complete a mission since she couldn’t contact Heimdall – because Ragnarok happened.

A few weeks before the fated day, Daisy, Piper, Trip, Davis, Sharon & Kevin were in deep outer space in response to a distress call from one of Daisy’s contacts out there. No one predicted that things would take a turn for the worse because they already knew it would. They were just not privy to the exact details of how it would happen.

The operation to collect the infinity stones using the Pym particles went pear-shaped when Thanos followed them from the past, a few days ahead of the foretold time. S.W.O.R.D. blasted a few of the aliens’ warships when they first appeared. Yet, due to the number of the aliens’ vessels and lack of personnel aboard the space station, there wasn’t much that they could do.

Distress messages were sent to both Captain Marvel and Zephyr Two. They were able to call on Carol Danvers but not the Z2 that was out in deep space. Only with Ramona’s magical help did the contact came through; but they only arrived at the battlefield on earth moments before Iron Man snapped his fingers, despite them blowing up all excess energy to get back to earth.


	9. The Shadow Protocol

_Unnamed Space Station, Somewhere Deep in Outer Space_

Undocking from the space station, they steered the spaceship towards a clear area a few miles away. They couldn’t jump that close to the structure. There may be a backlash of combustion that could damage the place. It was also a precaution so that there was no hitchhiker into the temporary wormhole they would create with the jump.

Since their destination was to a far-flung zone in space a few galaxies away, they would need a few jumps to reach the inner part of the galaxy where their solar system was situated. They decided to make a few more jumps to speed up their return as the foretold doomsday was getting nearer. All the while they were hoping that they would make it home before Thanos arrived and that the Shadow Protocol they concocted around four years ago would save them from the apocalypse.

~~~~####~~~~

_Earth, Four Years Ago_

“What about the Shadow Protocol?”

“Still in its planning stage. I’m still lining things up.” Daisy exhaled. The others gave her encouraging looks. “This is probably the hardest ops we’re in.”

The Shadow Protocol was a classified long term mission of the highest order. Initially, only key players were in it. The Shadow Council that consisted of a few important figures Daisy and Natasha trusted supervised over the entirety of the protocol. 

Not even Mack, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time knew everyone and everything about it. He only found out when Stage 2 was in progress. That was when The Council revealed the outlines to certain people on a need to know basis. With intel given by the future Maria Hill, and the prophecy told by the Gypsy Ramona, they planned a contingency module to stop Thanos in the future.

When the trio snapped her back into the conversation, they asked her to elaborate on the protocol just to make sure that they all get it correctly and on the same page. She stated that there were four stages in the overall blueprint.

“The first stage was the planning, which is where we are now. It’s not easy because we have to count in all aspects.”

She told them that they needed to finish Project Olympus before the end of Stage 2. Besides, they were also designing and experimenting on new means to fight. She also told them the difficulties in rounding up the warriors especially the ones in the prophecy. Her family agreed with that especially Natasha who had to work with the Avengers that sometimes behaved like children. Stage 1 was the easiest part, minus the participation from their yet-to-be-revived accomplices despite the fact that it took them half a year to complete.

Inhaling deeply, Daisy explained the second stage. “Stage 2 would have the longest duration. In the countdown until the day Thanos arrives, we’d all make preparations. The fighters would keep on training. When we’re able, we’d have a go at group practice, be it physically or by using simulations. Not to forget powers and abilities. We don’t want any friendly fires on the battleground.”

“That’s right; we must train to work in groups. It might give us the advantage to have coordinated tactics during fights.” The Russian wholeheartedly approved. She agreed to direct things on her ends and they would discuss the topic further when they talked next time.

“What about weapons? Wasn’t that in the proposal as well?”

“To answer your question Kevin, yes, there is that part. At the moment, at S.H.I.E.L.D., our scientists and tech experts are upgrading our current weapons. On another note, Fitz, Deke and I are working on designing better ones with multiple functions whenever possible. We also dragged Enoch to supply knowledge that we don’t have. Then, when we have sufficient number, we’ll install them on the helicarriers, spaceships and major bases. If time and resources permit, the other bases would get them too.”

“I believe I’m to be working with that then, right?” Sharon indicated her role in the mission.

“Yup, your main operation is to equip our assets with weapons. You’ll be testing them too if you want.”

“Really?” She was hopeful. Well, it was not every day one was invited to test new inventions especially weapons. Besides, it had been a long time since Daisy let her involved in one of her experiments. When her sister nodded, she smiled brightly.

Then, her brother and Natasha wanted in too, giving Daisy their puppy eyes, trying to look adorably innocent when Daisy recounted the mishaps during her experiments whenever those two were involved. In the end, they were all invited to the tests. Sharon was sure she heard Daisy muttered impishly under her breath that they were welcomed to be her guinea pigs.

In addition to what they were doing at S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha mentioned that The Avengers were also looking for ways to remedy the effects of the Snap. They would look for Lang but not feeling that hopeful because they had no idea where he might be.

The Asgardians and Wakandans would work with them in this too. So far, Thor hadn’t succumbed to alcohol as he was now motivated by the information Natasha and Daisy shared, which was a plus since history was being changed. Stark was engrossed in his world trying to work things up while still feeling depressed with the whole shitty things that happened.

“Subsequently, the space station must be completed, launched into space and staffed by early 2023. That would be a few months before Thanos.” She insinuated that it could probably be an extra factor to guarantee their victory. All in all, the second stage was preparations for the battle.

Stage 3 would be the battle itself. The determiner of their survival. It had the shortest duration, but that didn’t mean it would be easy.

“There will be at least two teams. One would safeguard the planet from space. S.W.O.R.D. would be point of operation in that mission. Another one would fight the aliens here on earth.” Not only that, the Avengers would have quests right before the big fight, which nobody was privy to just yet. So, whatever they did during this period was important.

Lastly, Stage 4. The final stage was the aftermath of the war – Damage Control. It had two parts, depending on the outcome of the battle. What they would do when they won and if they lose. In all likelihood, if they failed, they’d be cracking their heads on finding ways to deal with it. It would be the easiest or the hardest portion of the whole protocol.

Daisy just hoped that the prophecy and the intel Maria relayed would help in their efforts to beat the odds. Meeting her sister in the future confirmed a part of the divination would come true. Here she was hoping that everything went as it should and the world was safe with some positive changes – that Tony and Natasha stayed alive.

~~~~####~~~~

_Inner Solar System, Present Time_

After the fifth jump, they reached the border of the Asteroid Belt, right outside the inner solar system. Since there were too many bodies en route, they didn’t dare to jump again even though the rocks were quite far apart from each other. Instead they would pilot the vessel in light speed mode. Just as they were checking that they did have the correct coordinates, they received a garbled transmission through their communication system. It sounded like a distress call as the person sounded frantic, but the words were not clear.

“Was that a distress call?”

“F.I.L.I.A., scan the perimeter. Piper, comb the immediate area manually for anything that might relay that call.”

“Roger that.” It took them a few seconds to finish the scan.

“Neither life forms nor machines detected within the Asteroid Belt, Boss.”

“Thank you F.I.L.I.A. Piper?”

“Like F.I.L.I.A said, there is nothing except Ceres.”

Detecting Ceres, a dwarf planet within the Belt near their location, they thought it may come from there. Some dead spaceship might be stranded or having problems over there. With some magnetic rocks nearby, they might disrupt the readings. So, they flew there while setting up communication with S.W.O.R.D. – a new floating base orbiting their home planet.

“Okay, keep your eyes open. Everyone, to your stations.” Kevin, Sharon and Piper were focused on the scanning readers as well as the screens that relayed the recording of the exterior cameras. “Davis, steer slowly.”

When they reached the rocky planet, they detected nothing. They moved nearer, circling it while looking for the person sending out that mayday. All they saw was vapors on its icy surface. Their scanner also did not pick up any signs of living beings.

Apart from that, they were still unable to connect with the base. It was probably because the asteroids were messing with their transmission signal as some of them were magnetic in nature. And it seemed like this area had a concentration of little bits of space rocks, which made maneuvering and searching a bit more tedious. Still, there was no ship and no astronauts in distress.

“Anything?”

“Negative. It could probably be the static from the rocks.”

“Or someone from home trying to make contact.”

“Perhaps. Let’s circle the rock one last time before we head back.”

“Roger that.” So, they flew around Ceres one last time before heading back to earth.

“There is still no communication with S.W.O.R.D.?”

“No. these rocks are messing with the transmission.”

Right after Piper said that, the team witnessed a weird blinking lighting show in the bridge. It blinked with different colors and they all turned to stare in awe at the hula dancer doll Daisy glued on the panel as it glowed brightly, and cancelling all interference from the rocks. Just like that, their communication system went back online. Immediately, contact with S.W.O.R.D. was established. That was when they realized that the base had been trying to reach them many times. They listened in trepidation that Thanos was already detected near earth.

“What the hell!? He’s early. He’s supposed to come in another week.”

“When you mess with time no matter how minuscule, there bound to be changes.”

“Dammit!”

“Davis, it’s time for you to dazzle through the rocks.”

“Right on. Strap in guys.” They buckled their seat belts and hung on. It was going to be a bumpy ride.

They moved with lightning speed towards earth, skillfully maneuvering their path amongst the perilous space rocks. Once they were off the rocky sector, they jumped and emerged halfway between Earth and Mars. So, they upped their speed using a series of turbo combustion, praying that the new additional function would work and their ride stayed intact.

~~~~####~~~~

_The Earth’s Orbit_

Weeks of travel turned to days. Using turbo combustion, they shortened their travel to mere minutes from their last location, and arrived in the orbit of the earth to a line of heavily armed warships. There was debris floating around. Later, they learned that the space station incinerated the first batch of the alien battleships. What awaited them now was the second batch.

“Shit! That doesn’t look promising.”

“Guys, I don’t think we should leave this to S.W.O.R.D. alone.”

Teleporting to the battlefield on earth was out of the picture. Hoping that the third stage of the Shadow Protocol was activated immediately when the alien attacked, they determined to protect from space.

Sensing that there were more incoming, the crew of Zephyr Two took to action. The time travel high-tech spacecraft was equipped with powerful offensive weapons. Confident with the ability of their space ride in enduring barracks of attack, they went into positions and rechecked that they had put on the cloaking and activated the shield.

“F.I.L.I.A., maintain communication with S.W.O.R.D. Establish one with S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.” The A.I. did just as she was instructed.

“We have three-way communications now.”

They relayed their plan to both agencies and got to work.

“You guys know what to do.” All of them nodded, determination clearly shone from their eyes and expressions.

“Good. Let’s get to it. Do not hold back.”

“For survival!” Their vows reverberated on the walls and everybody got to work at their respective stations.

“Daisy, be careful out there.” Sharon said to Daisy on her way out of the bridge. Satisfied with the thumb up her sister gave while running towards the depressurized chamber, she set her attention to their battle plan.

“F.I.L.I.A., cover Daisy.”

“Absolutely, Miss Sharon.”

Davis was piloting the Zephyr, expertly evading the enemy and the debris, and firing bomb blasts once in a while. Next to him was Piper. She frantically scanned the surrounding area while monitoring the health of the ship as well as working on the protective features of the plane and monitoring their weapons inventory. At the same time, she made sure to maintain their communication with S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as shooting unsuspecting alien ships and keeping an eye on Daisy through the monitor.

F.I.L.I.A., the vessel’s A.I. was instrumental in scanning the area for enemy presence and relayed the information to the crew, while firing turrets of laser towards those the crew missed. She worked very closely with Piper during space battle as their line of defense and channel of communication.

Sharon and Kevin were manning the weapons. They used every weapon they had in their arsenal from laser shots to photon blasts with impressive precision. Using auto preplanned firefight modus operandi on twin mini screens to the holotable with more powerful and extensive plans of attacks to manual applications, they aced their duties.

Trip on the other hand, used his power to camouflage their attacks with the dark of space to make it invisible to the aliens. He also sent glamour to cover the enemy’s vessels so that they attacked each other thinking they were earth’s defense. It was tedious and very complicated considering that there were so many attacks coming out of the Z2. But he persevered and not once did he give up.

That left Daisy. She suited up with a hostile-environment spacesuit and substituted her gauntlets with a different set, which she co-designed with someone she met on one of her journeys. Listening to the chatter on the communication system, she secured herself on a platform that would put her outside the Zephyr. With her signal, F.I.L.I.A. opened the panel trapdoor and raised the platform. On the way up, she pushed a button on both the suit and her gauntlets, activating protective cloaking utility programmed in them.

She took in the scene in front of her. They were attacking the enemy from two sides. However, she’d bet that the enemy did not see the cloaked space station or the Zephyr, and believed that they were confronted from all sides by many warships, courtesy of Trip’s power. They needed to be quick in neutralizing threats in space to help down below.

Daisy braced her feet and pushed a second button on her arm pieces. She straightened her arms to her sides, palm forward and focused. Detecting the vibrations emitted by the unfriendly vessels, she concentrated in finding the right frequency to decimate the machines. Then, she unleashed her power.

Quake may not be as powerful as Captain Marvel, but she could give the older hero a tough challenge. True to her reputations, the one the Kree called the Destroyer of Worlds destroyed Thanos’ army. With the aid of the special gauntlets that helped her focus and increased the strength of her power, she dissolved all remaining enemy’s spaceship into dust along with any debris in the orbit in one go. It was an astonishing feat but it did drain her energy a lot faster. When they detected some of Thanos’ soldiers drifting in space, they executed them. The whole space team cheered with the outcome and got ready to teleport to earth.

It may seem like they might win this war, but that hope was put on the back burner with the arrival of another batch of army. This time they were sending out more numbers of larger spaceships. Luckily, help arrived in the form of Captain Marvel.

In the few minutes it took Daisy to go back out, one of Thanos’ flagships managed to sneak around them into the atmosphere and started firing on the warzone down on earth. Communicating the sudden change in their plan of attack, the captain dove to destroy the escaped flagship before fighting Thanos. Coordinating with their peers at base, they blasted the hostile enemy to smithereens, using the same tactics as the previous batch.

Sensing no more threats from space, the Z2 teleported to the heart of the battle and dropped both Inhumans before teleported back to space for safety precaution. Feeling optimistic that they could beat this, they marched on; just in time to see Iron Man moments before he snapped his fingers. A resounding ‘NO’ was heard from the newcomers, turning many heads their way. As Thanos and his army turned to dust, Daisy and Trip ran as fast as their tired body could towards the superhero.

In the end, the world was saved but the Shadow Protocol was in a way a flop.


	10. Melancholia

She came to in the middle of traffic. It was a bit chaotic there in the city. Cars screeched to stop. People were scared out of their wits with the appearance of bodies out of nowhere. Heck, she herself was feeling disoriented. She snapped to focus when her eyes landed on a crying toddler in the path of an uncontrollable SUV. ‘What the hell?’ She cursed as she leapt toward the child and plucked him off the street, then, rolled back onto the pavement. In the background, she barely heard Fury shouted her name.

“Dammit Hill!” Maria’s head turned to look pointedly at Fury. ‘There’s a crying child in my arms, sir.’ She tried to silently communicate this to her boss. Still sitting on the sidewalk, Maria looked down to talk to the boy when a panicky woman appeared in front of them.

“Mama!” the boy cried joyously. After thanking the two strangers who saved her son, the woman walked away, child safely tucked within her arms. Well, at least some people were reunited. She, on the other hand, had no idea if her wife was safe. Heck, she also wondered how her family was doing. She was kind of fuzzy about what happened before except that people turned to dust around her and the same thing happened to her soon after.

She took out her phone and immediately called Natasha. Nothing. She called again and again only to be redirected to her voicemail. “C’mon. Answer the phone. Natasha, just pick up the damn phone!” Trepidation built inside her. Did something happen to Natasha? Why won’t she answer her phone calls? “Maybe she’s on a mission.” she mumbled to herself, trying to calm down.

Then, she tried to call her sister. When there was no answer, she dialed again. Same fucking thing. There was not even a ring tone. Maria was getting antsy. “Okay, she’s an agent. Probably on a mission too.” she muttered. Her hands were shaking. Fear began to seep into her being and she started to panic. She could feel cold sweat trickled down her back.

“I couldn’t contact anyone. My phone won’t work. How ‘bout you?” Fury’s voice was like thunder in her ears. It did bring her out of her reverie. She shook her head.

“I tried calling Natasha and Daisy. Straight to voicemails. I just hope that they were on a mission or something.” She said hopefully.

“Didn’t Johnson go out to space?” Fury’s question did calm her down.

“You’re right. She told me that a few days ago.” Reassured that her youngest sister and their cousin, Trip might still be in space, she decided to call Sharon or Kevin. “I’m calling Sharon.”

She never thought she’d feel delighted to hear ring tones. But at the moment, it was something that gave her hope. When Sharon answered and cried her name hysterically asking how the hell Maria was alive after five fucking years, she was stunned. She was also surprised that her phone number was still in service. Then, when her cousin informed that everyone was fighting Thanos, she felt her breath hitched and uneasiness crept in. While she glanced at Fury who was trying to hijack a car, she drew information from the other woman. With a location in mind, they drove to the nearest airfield like madmen, ignoring all red lights.

Shooting out of the car once they reached the airfield, they were stopped by a man in Buddhist monk attire. She was positive that she remembered seeing the guy before. Then, they were on the battlefield. The scene was like nothing she ever seen. It was gruesome. Aliens were all over the place. She even tripped on a few of their corpses.

Anxiously she scanned the area looking for both her sister and wife or anyone she knew. They were nowhere to be seen. Then, she saw Wanda being flung away by a purple giant. ‘That must be Thanos,’ she thought. Fury was standing next to her, taking in the situation. When Maria ran to help Wanda, Fury was right behind her. They slew all hostiles in their path. They armed themselves with the aliens’ weapons they saw scattered unattended on the ground.

When they reached Wanda, she realized that it was suddenly dark. Tilting her face upward, she was alarmed as she saw a giant spaceship descended on them, firing laser shots.

“Shit! Where the hell does that come from?” Fury exclaimed furiously.

Panic was starting to take hold when something miraculous happened. Moving light rammed through the vessel until it was destroyed and Captain Marvel morphed into existence. They fought courageously, but things did not look good for the earth’s forces. When all seemed lost, Stark rushed toward the purple alien. In ways that Maria could not comprehend – not at that moment anyway – he managed to steal the stones from Thanos.

At the same time, a plane suddenly appeared near where they were fighting. She saw her sister and their cousin exited the slightly different Zephyr One. That was when Stark snapped his fingers. She could hear Daisy and Trip yelled ‘NO’ loud enough that those who were nearby turned to look at them questioningly. When the enemy was dusted, all of them, she followed the two Inhumans, running to where Stark sat motionless. That was when she knew for certain that they somehow had failed.

~~~~####~~~~

They kept on glancing her way. She knew that they were worried about her. She had stopped shedding tears. There was no use. Crying would not bring her wife back. Probably sensing her discomfort of being watched in case she had a meltdown, her family let her have her space. They went back to their apartments, leaving her alone with Daisy, but always checking up on her. Daisy held her when she broke down after her sister relayed Natasha’s message to her. She cried and cried and bemoaning her fate in silent sobs till she fell asleep.

When she woke up, eyes swollen and crusty, turning on her side and saw the empty spot next to her, she wept all over again. She would hug Natasha’s pillow like a lifeline as if it was the most precious thing on earth. It still had her scent. It went on like that for days. She was lost. She felt numbed.

She kept recalling her days with Natasha. When they officially met for the first time after months of heading the task force to capture or kill the Black Widow. How they became close despite the rocky start, establishing companionship and building trust. She can still remember clearly how they got together. She even wondered how that was even possible that a gorgeous beauty like Natasha Romanoff would want to be with Maria Hill, nicknamed by agents as the Ice Queen.

Back then, they were so oblivious to the attraction they felt. It made them bumbling idiots, as Daisy and Sharon once pointed, with their mutual pining, that they have romantic feelings for each other. Maria always knew that she gravitated towards women more than men. Something that she struggled with when she was younger until she admitted the fact as it was to herself. That was probably the reason her previous relationships failed.

Before she admitted to herself that she harbored romantic ideas with Natasha, she was already feeling protective towards the smaller woman. Heck, she felt the same way towards her family. The difference was that she felt the desire to touch her, to lose herself in the Russian’s passionate embrace. Not platonic at all.

To say that the ex-assassin didn’t desire her was an understatement. After months of working together, watching each other’s backs in the field and spending loads of time together (whenever busy secret agents could grab the opportunities to do so), Natasha relaxed around her. She was the one who made the first move.

She texted every once in a while even when she was on missions. Natasha flirted with her at the most awkward times, not that Maria realized at that time what Natasha was doing. She thought the redhead was just messing with her. Just like the first few months after she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. Then, she initiated soft touches and tiny caresses here and there. Sometimes, she stood very near to her when there was no need to do that.

She also remembered their first kiss. They were sitting on the couch in Maria’s apartment, watching a movie. Natasha curled into her side and her gleaming pools of green eyes openly stared at her, looking calculating before exhaling softly and resting her head on Maria’s shoulder, much to the commander’s confusion. When Natasha started to nuzzle her collarbone, her breath hitched; and she could no longer deny her attraction toward the shorter woman and decided to take the next step.

She palmed Natasha’s cheeks, tilted her face up and leaned down to look into her eyes, silently asking if it was okay and that she wanted the same thing before brushing a soft kiss on her lips. Then, she kissed her more firmly and Natasha returned it enthusiastically. Relishing the feel of Natasha’s supple lips on hers, Maria closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. When Natasha bit her lower lip softly, Maria gasped and slid her fingers in the redhead’s hair at the nape of her neck. And they kept kissing, tongues and all, making out heavily.

They, however, did not end up in bed that night. Cuddling was the next best thing and Maria never imagined that Natasha was a cuddler. And the Black Widow would deny it to her last breath if anyone even suggested that she was. The next day, they were sent on different missions and did not see each other for close to a month.

A month later, Natasha was sent to the infirmary after completing her latest mission. Worried, Maria walked briskly to see her. Agents moved out of her way, not wanting to incur the wrath of the Ice Queen by blocking her path. When she walked into the medic bay and saw the redhead all banged up, she faltered. Then, she almost laughed out loud.

There lying on the bed was the Black Widow looking irritated for being detained in medical. She was staring daggers at the medical personnel, as if that would make him let her out of the infirmary sooner. It actually made the poor man uncomfortable enough that he hurried out of the room as soon as he saw Maria, muttering under his breath. Maria was pretty certain that she heard ‘let Agent Hill deal with the cranky Black Widow.’ But let it be known that the doc was looking over his shoulder for quite some time after that should the deadly agent put to action her silent threat.

“Romanoff.” She greeted her cordially after trailing her eyes on the redhead, cataloguing her injuries despite having skimmed through her medical report. An already swollen black eye, a scraped jaw, bruised cheeks and left wrist in splint (probably, no, hopefully only sprained). Her arms were full of abrasions and bruises. She even had a fingernail surgically removed after it lay dangling on her finger when she was brought in. How the hell did that happen? Maria did not want to know. She could also see bandages under her hospital gown from the gunshot and stab wounds she sustained. Was that a handprint on her throat? She was strangled then. Oh, when Maria got her hands on that bastard…

“Hill.” Her eyes – make that one good eye, the other was swollen shut – lighted up as they landed on Maria.

“I see that you managed to dye yourself in black and blue. Is that the current trend in body paint?” She teased good-naturedly.

“Oh, didn’t you get the memo? It’s the latest style. People would die to have it, like literally.” She replied, smiling lopsidedly.

Raising an eyebrow, Maria simply asked dryly, “Oh, really?”

“Yep. I’ll let you know though that the artist for this body job is unavailable at the moment. He overpainted himself in black, blue and red. Especially red. He seemed to really like the color. I believe he was forced to foreclose his joint.” The small agent said wickedly.

They chatted for a while. More like Natasha grumpily complained that she was fine and insisted to go back to her place. To which Maria vetoed and made her point when the Russian whimpered in pain as she was trying to get up. Maria chided her gently to take better care of herself and rest when she can.

When she hissed in pain a while later, Maria reached for the IV to release the medicine to ease Natasha’s discomfort. However, the other woman stopped her. She didn’t want to be medicated. A look of vulnerability appeared on her feature but it passed as quickly as it came. Understanding where Natasha came from, she yielded; but not before they reached a compromise – just a little dose so that Natasha can sleep better and a promise, when the redhead asked her, to stay for the night. If the medic was surprised to see her resting on the bed with Natasha tucked to her side the next morning, he didn’t say anything. Hmmm, a wise man indeed.

It was a few months after their first kiss that they ended up in bed together. Natasha had just finished a mission. They ordered take-out and had dinner on the couch. Later, they watched a new show on the television, with Natasha’s head on Maria’s lap. The show was so unbelievably ridiculous that they started commentating on it as it progressed until they couldn’t anymore and just stayed like that in comfortable silence. Turning off the TV, Maria turned to her tablet and started to go through her mission details. With Maria weaving her fingers through her hair, Natasha almost dozed off. She was startled awake when Maria announced her next mission.

“I’ll be going on a mission in two days.” She said. Her head tilted down to look into Natasha’s eyes.

“What? Why? I just got back.” Natasha whined uncharacteristically, sitting up. “Why do you have to go so soon?”

“We’ve been setting it up for months. Besides, I’m just going to be in the van working back end. Mostly.” She informed Natasha casually.

“Undercover?” she asked, wrinkling her eyebrows. When Maria nodded, she pouted adorably. “How long?”

“Indeterminate.” Maria answered hesitantly. She didn’t have to tell Natasha anything, but they had this thing between them that they refused to put a name to and it compelled her to at least inform the smaller woman that she would be away on a mission.

Natasha just stared at her before her eyes gleamed and then, she tackled Maria on the couch, straddling her torso.

“Is there any particular reason you tackled me?” Chuckling softly, Maria put her hands on Natasha’s hips, caressing softly.

“If you’re not going to be around for however long it takes to complete that mission, then, I suggest we not waste any more time.” The redhead said sulkily before she attacked Maria with kisses that left them both breathless. 

“Well, aren’t you being forward tonight?” she teased the smaller woman playfully.

Rolling her eyes, Natasha peppered her jaw and throat with open mouth kisses and a hint of teeth, which turned Maria on further. When she suckled her pulse point, Maria couldn’t help but moaned and slid her hands under Natasha’s top to caress her back, causing the redhead to groan. Returning to her lips and slipping in her tongue, they kissed hungrily till their eyes darkened and pupils dilated; hands tangled in hair and both were gasping for air. When Maria brushed the side of her breasts, Natasha let out a low pitched sound. The Black Widow actually growled and started to grind her hips, which in turn made Maria hissed in pleasure.

The couch was actually pretty comfy but her bed was comfier and larger too. If they were doing this, then, they’d better moved to her bedroom.

“Bed?”

When the redhead nodded, Maria held onto Natasha and moved swiftly to stand up. Surprised, Natasha yelped and wrapped her thighs around the taller woman’s waist. She was proud that she could easily carry Natasha to her bedroom and not stumbled on her feet, while kissing all the way there. They moved to bed, trailing clothes along the way. Mapping every inch of each other’s skin, treasuring all scars, committing to memories the sound they made and learned what made them desperate for more. They did not sleep that much that night. Their need for each other was greater than their need to sleep. Well, sleep was overrated anyway.

Maria chuckled softly when she recalled the first time they went out on a date – the real one according to Natasha, they had many non-dates from breakfasts to dinners, whether on missions or during personal times – how she fussed with Sharon to help her picked on what to wear. The date did not start splendidly but it ended with the best of results.

They were late. There was a meeting at the Triskellion – a debriefing for Natasha and a briefing for a new mission for Maria. Luckily, she had an open reservation at a fancy restaurant – she had to pay extra for that. She never ate there but she heard the food was exceptional. Not that they could confirm it because they were so nervous that they fumbled through the night as if they never went out for dinners before.

After dinner, they went for a stroll in the park holding hands; body closely leaned into each other. The walk went well too. Nice breeze and fresh air. The fact that there were a few shady characters wandering the area did not cross their minds. They were so engrossed with each other, not being alert with their surroundings unlike the agents that they were. Not when the number of those shady characters increased. Not even when a confrontation between two groups of those said shady people ensued. Not until there was shouting not far from where they were walking, followed by the sound of a scuffle and gunfight, that they realized it – they were in the middle of a gang war. No shit, Sherlock!

Agents’ instincts immediately took over and they dove for cover. Crouching behind tree lines, guns in hands, they peered out into the park. Maria whipped out her cellphone and dialed 911. They were not going to get involved in this and they would not have their date ruined no matter how much they would enjoy kicking those idiots’ asses. Waiting for the cops to arrive, they moved stealthily away from ground zero and telling any civilians to get far away from the park. At the same time, they incapacitated any straggler of the gangbangers that came their way.

When they returned to Maria’s apartment, they were still full of adrenaline that they channeled it on fiery encounters of the sensual kind right next to the door, on the couch, on top of the kitchen counter and ended up in the bedroom; with repetitions between the last lovemaking session and dawn. The next morning, they woke up with aching muscles and feeling extremely satisfied. Not that that prevented them from having a repeat performance before breakfast and then again in the shower. They did not leave the apartment for the whole weekend.

Months later, when she realized that her feelings for Natasha had evolved, she did not say anything. She was afraid that Natasha did not share the same feeling – despite the redhead’s actions that showed otherwise – or that she might run if she knew. When it was out between them, she did run. Maria was devastated. She did not know how to salvage their relationship. She did not cry but she was numbed. She slept fitfully that night.

When she woke up the next morning to the smell of pancakes and coffee, she was surprised. Natasha came back at dawn after a day spent on thinking about them and their relationship. She explained why she left the day before. She was not very good in the feelings department. She did not know what kind of feeling she felt for Maria. She did not know how to define love. Heck, the Red Room ingrained in their recruits that love was for children. Maria felt for her. It must have been hard to be emotionally confused.

Later, she learned that Natasha spent hours reading about love online. Checking if that was what she felt towards Maria. If it was, what kind of love did she feel toward the commander, because she read many of them on the internet. She also called Barton to casually ask him how he knew he loved his wife. He was curious why she wanted to know but didn’t probe further.

She even joined several chat rooms anonymously to discuss this topic and asked for advice. She, the famed Black Widow, secret agent superspy extraordinaire, was chatting about love on the internet. It was a blasphemy!

However, the strangers she talked with on those chat rooms did help her resolved her feelings. When they asked her how she would feel if Maria was gone and why and what would she do just to see her happy, she realized that she did love Maria. She never wanted to be without Maria. She came back immediately after she reached that conclusion, right at dawn. After breakfast, they had make up sex and slept the day away, content just being together.

Natasha proposed a year later. She never thought that the redhead would take the initiative. Maria did think of marrying Natasha, but after the runaway episode, she was spooked. Besides, they did not need a legal paper to be together. Their feelings transcended beyond that. In fact, Natasha had been living with her for months. When they were on the helicarrier, she would stay with Maria in spite of having her own quarter. The fact that her quarter was nicer and bigger than Natasha’s was beside the point.

It was not a smooth proposal. Not at all. Huh? The Black Widow had ‘smooth’ grilled in her but not on that evening. It was clumsy even. After a few attempts, stutters and false starts, she looked clearly frustrated that she just blurted “Marry me Maria,” while blushing furiously. She would later deny this because Natasha Romanoff did not do blushing or stutter or not being suave. It was adorable, though one may question the romanticism of the proposal. Natasha was such a dork, but she was her dork.

She was already the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. when they married a few months later. It was a small ceremony. Her cousin on her mother’s side, who was ordained, officiated their wedding. There were only a small number of attendees – just her family, Trip, Tori, Fury and the Bartons.

Their matrimony was not known to many people. That was why when she was dusted five years ago and Natasha sank into depression, the Avengers and Pepper were puzzled. When they found out about their marriage, they were shocked and came to the irony that the Black Widow was really a widow now.

As time went by, they fell more deeply in love. It did not matter that they were super busy and sometimes did not see each other for weeks. The duration Natasha spent undercover at Stark Industries was the longest they were separated before their organization fell.

When they learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised, they worried for each other’s safety. There was not a single doubt that the other was HYDRA. Trust between them was absolute and their love was unconditional. From the happiest moments to tremulous times, through the greatest of tests and tribulations, they were a team. Even though she returned to the world of the living only to have the love of her life snatched from her. They had bound their souls years ago and they were bonded for life and beyond.

~~~~####~~~~

It was not an overstatement to say that everyone was depressed. Nightmares abound. Memories were assaulting them all. All their wounds were still fresh or/and reopened. They all dealt with lost and grieved differently.

Daisy did her best to help Maria through her grief. Nobody really realized that the Inhuman and a few others were working together in gathering information on what happened and researching through everything – what went wrong and what they did right, including ways to change history. This was all a challenge. One that they would adapt to their situation, improvise options and actions; and overcome destiny. It was not like they never did it before. In fact, they had proof of success for such endeavor.

~~~~####~~~~

On day six, feeling slightly human, Maria joined Daisy for breakfast after some sort of coercion from her sister. Daisy talked to her about everything that happened since she was dusted, from her space adventure to time travelling to Natasha’s death and the epic battle that left the world reeling.

When she shared her confusion about the discrepancies of what occurred and the intel her future self gave them, she started to focus and to believe again. That they’d do something about this and she’d be in the center of it. They started lining up alternatives and planning their next course of action. They would do this even when it sounded insane. They were the Carters – blood notwithstanding – and Carters persevered and took actions even in the face of impossibility.

The next day, they held a memorial for Stark at his cottage privately. The news of Tony Stark’s death did not travel beyond those who were in the war zone. S.H.I.E.L.D. made sure of that for they had plans. There was no burial. They froze his body. No matter how much the other opposed to that, Daisy was resolute with her words.

They had a contingency plan, should this happen. When Maria backed the idea, Pepper, who at first was observing quietly, felt intrigued and agreed with Daisy after listening to her explanation. If there was a chance, a way for Morgan to grow up with a father, she was all in for it.

Hence, they activated the exigency plan for Stage 4 of the Shadow Protocol. It might not be a total flop after all.


	11. Reset

In the aftermath of the battle against Thanos and his army, for the second time, the world was left intact and peace returned – mostly. Happiness was in the air for most people. Those who once lost their loved ones had found them again and those who came back were overjoyed.

Resurrection, however, brought forth quite a number of problems. One of them was in regard to the civil registration. Many deaths were recorded five years ago. Now that they were alive again, it caused the governments around the world a massive headache.

In the U.S., the Office of Vital Statistics was bombarded with requests to retract death certificates. When you counted the size of the world’s populations, seeing that half was decimated half a decade ago, it was going to be a long time before all that died can be legally pronounced alive.

Due to the sudden reappearance of many people at once, there were limited resources to cater to all of them adequately. Some were looking for family members while others were taking this pandemonium to stay dead legally as to avoid the authority. Thus, increasing the number of crimes reported since before the resurrection especially in the more populated areas.

The resurrected also had a hard time adjusting to life since a lot happened in the world for the past five years that they were not alive. Some found out that the people they left behind had moved on which sent them into distress. Some found themselves without a means to support even their basic necessities. A number of them lost their properties five years ago and with their legal pronouncement pending; they had no way of repossessing them.

All in all, the aftereffects of the reversal of the decimation were as chaotic as the devastating massacre itself. And all parties had a hard time coping with it.

~~~~####~~~~

Stage 4 of the Shadow Protocol dealt with damage control. Depending on the result of the war, The Council would enact its prearranged course of action. In the event that they won, they would help in dealing with the physical damage of the battle.

What S.H.I.E.L.D. did after the battle of New York, The Council did equally the same thing. They would also assist those who were directly involved in it. Besides, they would support those who were not involved, but being affected similarly the same. Admittedly, they may do this in some places only.

What they cannot do was hiding the fact that aliens had attacked earth again and the bizarre event of when the dead came back to life. In short, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the clandestine Shadow Council would lend a hand to rebuild the world and to deal with those who were brought back to life.

On the contrary, if they failed to stop Thanos, they would still do everything they’d do if they won in addition to an alternative plan. A plan in which they were to follow through, codenamed RESET. As per its name, they planned to reset everything before Thanos came for the second time.

A team would board the Zephyr Two and travel to the past to a certain point in time. Their goal was not to prevent the tragedy five years ago as that would undo everything they did since their year-long time travelling mission. It was to bring back Natasha Romanoff and Tony Stark. Now that they knew what exactly happened, with high hope, they commenced the mission.

As she determined earlier, she would be in the center of this ops. Maria Hill got ready to time travel for the first time. She prepared herself physically, mentally and emotionally. She would not get carried away with grief and impatience. She needed to be sharp and dependable. She was Commander Maria Hill, once a Deputy Director of a worldwide secret intelligence agency. She was in control of her facility and would keep herself level-headed. She would not be overwhelmed and overcome by the mission. Not even when it was her wife’s existence they were gambling on.

Sharon Carter was not going to let her cousin embarked on a time traveling adventure without her. She just got to keep an eye on her. It was too soon after she came back, and she was still mourning her wife. Besides, she was quite at ease with the Zephyr Two. She did go on space trips on it a few times. It was Sharon who Daisy drilled to learn and operate the weapon system of the plane. Didn’t she just prove that while battling the alien army in the orbit only days ago?

He was just the pilot. That was his main duty until he was needed in battle. Antoine Triplett was not going to let her cousins down; and with his power, he could lend a hand when needed. He just hoped that this mission was successful. For now, he would show Cap, Carol and Thor their quarters.

Steve Rogers and Thor were there to be the brunt of their attack and defense. They were distraught the day history noted that half of the universe was dusted. They did not like the fact that fate was such a fickle thing but hoped that they would somehow had the chance to bring their teammates back. Carol Danvers was just there for the ride or so she would say, but being one of the strongest in the universe that they knew of, she would be advantageous to have onboard. They were confident that with their combined strength and intellect, they’d succeed.

Daisy and Ramona were deep in discussion. For the last few days, whatever they discussed seemed to fly over their heads. Some things the others just could not comprehend. Nevertheless, knowing those two, it must have been important. When they were done, Ramona went to do their last minute inventory checks as they may travel for quite some time. She worried that they might face such a formidable challenge or that they might not manage to do what they were planning to do. All because of those damnable triple lines in the final part of the prophecy.

What Ramona told her caused Daisy to doubt their plan a little. Heck, she even doubted herself sometimes. Alright, many times, but she persisted. That stupid divination had brought doom upon them. But, it held true for everything that had occurred. Here they were hoping that it was true that the final verses told them of triumph. However, would they be fruitful with this mission – time travel? Or, could it be other means of doing this that would guarantee success? How long would they take to accomplish it? Why couldn’t the prophecy be more specific? After all this, if she had to deal with another one of this thing again, it would be too soon.

Once all of them piled onto the plane, they had their final briefing. Maria would run the mission behind the scene, with Sharon as their backup. Thor and Carol would be their offensive team if the need arose while Steve and Trip would handle the defense aspect of the ops. Daisy would handle anything else that needed to be handled as well as being their main engineer on the Zephyr. Ramona would also be running back end with the cousins all the while feeding them with information or things they needed to do or/and avoid. All through the mission, she had to remind everyone not to change things. They did not need any unknown variables to disrupt their plan. 

Their first stop was a few hours before they battled Thanos. The objective was to tell the Avengers to not let Tony Stark snapped his fingers and used the stone. Not yet. He just had to wait a couple of minutes until Daisy and Trip teleported there. This was because they believed that with both Inhumans there, they could terminate the alien like they did to his army; and the stones could be used to bring Natasha and the dead warriors back to life. Then, maybe Tony would not die. Once they were back in present timeline, they would destroy the stones.

So, they went back, gave hints to the Avengers that both Inhumans were already in the orbit; that they just had to wait a tiny bit longer. The team resolved not to join the melee of assaults on the battlefield. They could not even when they wanted to so badly that the ladies had to restrain Steve and Thor from going down there. Alas, the plan didn’t work; mainly because Stark was being his stubborn know-it-all self and he feared that if he didn’t do it, then all would be lost. He should have just trusted them that their plan would work. Dejected, they organized another course of action.

The second time they tried, they would do the same thing but with a slight change. Right after Stark got the stones, they would use the cloaked Zephyr Two to attack the mad Titan to give the past Trip and Daisy enough time to arrive at the scene. Therefore, he did not need to use them. The strategy went swimmingly, with Trip and Daisy at the battlefield, they did manage to kill Thanos, but the outcome was still the same. Tony Stark still ended up dead when they used the stones to destroy the remaining Thanos’ army.

The third time around, they followed the same plan of attack. However, this time, they would not let Stark used the stones to wipe out the residual aliens, since they thought that maybe the large number of aliens dusted could be Stark’s downfall. Instead, they would eliminate them all with their own hands and weapons and powers. They did it. No more hostile extraterrestrials henchmen of Thanos on planet Earth. The infinity stones would only be used to resurrect the dead. Unfortunately, Iron Man still kicked the bucket.

So, for the next time they went back to change history, they planned to let someone else use the stones. But not everyone could wield such tremendous power of all Infinity stones simultaneously without risking their lives. Just look what happened to Banner when he used them earlier. Then, Iron Man used them and he died. That was why they went back three times, doing basically the same thing with just a tiny tactical change each time rather than used the stones to revive Stark. Who knew what would happen to the next person if they did? They didn’t want another death among them.

They deduced that as a mere mortal, Tony used up his life force in the present timeline. Therefore, it was decided that Thor would be given the honor to use it, since he was a demigod, he’d got to be stronger than to simply perish after one use, right? Absolutely! Except that Tony Stark still met his demise. From a fatal wound he did not get in any other timelines.

The team was frustrated. With every strategy they used, Tony Stark died, even in the most ridiculous ways. Sometimes, the timeframe of the event also differed albeit a tad, which threw their tactics slightly out of whack, to which they thought that they may have compromised the timeline. That was a no-no for this mission and it gave Ramona tension headaches because she had to repeatedly remind everyone not to do anything that might result in that.

It was maddening that regardless of how many times they tried, they still failed. Nobody wanted to go home without bringing with them good news. They tried to travel to the past to reset the future. It was of no use. They even went back to the time before half the universe got dusted (and narrowly avoided messing with their fixed future) and they traveled the linear plane of the whole timeline because they did not want to create a branched one. As luck would have it, there was no success.

Then, they changed tactics. They would be involved directly in the fight – uncaringly throwing the possibilities of screwing up their timeline – they were that desperate. If the enemy was puzzled at seeing two Thors, Captain Americas and Captain Marvels, no one was going to explain anything.

Some things just had to be in their way, preventing them from really helping in the fight. Or, some stupid unforeseen incidents would stall them from accomplishing their plans in a timely manner. Not to mention that they had to watch over their own and each other’s backs to make sure that they did not die while doing so. In other words, their plans were not successful. Every single one of them.

At one point, they became so exasperated that they went to the future to find better weapons that can be used or any information or magic that would prevent Tony Stark’s death to no avail and returned to the past again. They even tried to not use the stones at all, determined to find other ways to bring the dead back to life, which was a moot point as the stones were their only means to revive the dead. Still, nothing fucking worked! There were no magic potions or resurrection spells to be found anywhere.

In the end, Tony Stark still perished but they managed to use the infinity stones to bring those who died because of Thanos back into existence, safe and without injuries. All came back to life except Iron Man, which puzzled them to no end. When they tried to use the stones to revive Stark, the stones except one turned to dust to the bewilderment of everyone present; and the billionaire remained dead. Then, they used the sole remaining green gem to go back a few minutes earlier to try again. The same thing happened. The stones were destroyed except the Time Stone and it was later returned to The Ancient One (they traveled back in time) as Banner promised.

Their last resort was the GH-325 drug that worked wonders for Coulson. They still had a few vials of that miracle serum leftover from the day they treated him in the past, which was not recorded anywhere on S.H.I.E.L.D. database due to safety and confidential reasons. So, they used it with high hope that Tony Stark would be revived. Alas, their plan didn’t work. Iron man did not even twitch let alone breathed. They assumed that too much time had gone by since the drug was taken out of the secret laboratory, thus, its effectiveness was reduced to non-existence (though later tests revoked that hypothesis entirely).

As much as it hurt them, it would hurt Pepper and Morgan more. However, they just had to accept that Tony Stark was meant to die. Ramona said some things could not be changed that easily and some just could not be changed no matter what. It was fated in what was called fixed destiny. Why the hell did that even exist!?

To put it simply, it just had to happen. Unless you had the mysterious special star-embedded gem that had an even more powerful magical property that could override any fixed destiny, which was the most sought after but remained unattained. Its existence was said to be a myth. No one ever proved that it did not exist nor any evidence of its existence was ever produced.

It must be one enormous gem to host a star. Where on earth would they find a star in a gem? Especially when there was no concrete proof that it actually existed. Feeling hopeless, they decided to call off the mission and returned to their present time. They just had to accept that Operation: RESET was not 100% successful.


	12. Possibilities

The moment the Zephyr Two set off, the rest who were left behind waited for them to return with bated breath. Hoping that they’d make it. Praying that nothing untoward happened to them and that everything would work.

Wanda was trying not to think of all the bad things that could have happened to the team, to Daisy. In the four years since Daisy returned to the present, both women grew very close. They trained, worked and spent time together. Wanda even joined the Inhuman in some of her space adventures. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost Daisy. That woman was her anchor after she lost Pietro. Twisting her fingers in worry would not make them come back sooner. Well, maybe they could with time travel and all, but that was just wishful thinking.

Agents May and Coulson looked serious but not showing any hints of worry that she was sure they felt. She was certain that they were anxious with the outcome of the operation, but they were also concerned about Daisy, whom they took in as their surrogate daughter. She did witness Agent Coulson hugged Daisy and softly talked to her to be careful, while Agent May just said to kick some asses, bring back those two Avengers and return home safely as Daisy pulled her in a brief embrace. The others were trying to act as if they weren’t anxiously waiting with anticipation for the change the team would hopefully do in the past.

All of a sudden, there was a ripple in the air and the Zephyr Two reappeared moments after it vanished. Everyone at mission control was in tenterhook for the report. When they emerged on the cargo ramp, Coulson was on the verge to ask them for the report. But, from their faces, one did not have to pose any questions because all of them looked gloomy enough to tell everybody that things did not go as planned or that they totally failed. Still the agents immediately worked on contacting several persons to check and confirm their resurrections.

The news that Stark couldn’t be saved was received with heavy hearts. One thing they managed to do was brought those who died back to life. They confirmed this with some sources, namely King T’challa and Lady Sif to name a few, whose warriors were killed on battlefield.

Once that was established, they needed to tell Pepper that her husband was not coming back. Since she was not at the base, someone had to go tell her the outcome of the mission. She was still at the cottage with Morgan; waiting for news. They opted for Steve to be the one with the hard work of telling her about Stark. Once that settled, other agents left the room, leaving only the Z2 Team, Wanda, Barton, May and Coulson.

In the past – before changes were introduced by the team on Z2 – when Banner used the stones, it was to reverse the original Snap and resurrected those who died five years ago. That was why Natasha was not among them. Then, Stark snapped his fingers; it was to wish the decimation of Thanos and his army. So, on both occasions, Natasha Romanoff remained deceased.

After the intervention – by having used the stones to wish the dead back into existence and wished the non-existence of Thanos and his army as well as erasing them from all timelines – they believed that Natasha was alive as well. However, since she died on Vormir, she was probably stuck there. So, they reached out to Dr. Strange to open a portal to that planet; and to bring Natasha back to earth.

When Dr. Strange returned alone looking perplexed, they were feeling apprehensive. Where was Natasha Romanoff? Was the Black Widow dead? Was that why she was not coming through the portal? They saw the doctor opened another portal but he could not get through as the portal kept fizzled out. 

“This is something new. I’ve never experience this.” The doctor was puzzled. This made everybody else nervous.

“What do you mean?” Maria could no longer hold the suspense. She’d got to know why her wife was not walking out through that portal. She could feel Sharon and Daisy near her, also feeling fearful.

“It was opened for a while there, but was forced to close. I don’t know what caused it.”

“Could you open it again?” Barton asked him hopefully.

“That’s the thing. I couldn’t. Every time I did, it collapsed just as quickly.” The Sorcerer Supreme seemed baffled by this.

“Was there anything that you see in the short time it was opened?” Ramona carefully probed. She had an inkling of what might cause that.

“Natasha Romanoff.” He answered swiftly.

“What?” Trip and Barton blurted that at the same time as Sharon hopefully exclaimed “Really?” This was followed immediately by Daisy’s “Are you sure?”

“She’s alive?” Maria softly asked. Please let her be alive. “Tell me that what you see isn’t her corpse.”

His face softened. He knew of the relationship between the two women after everything cooled down. He sympathized with them. One was left devastated when her partner was dusted. And when said partner returned, only to find her lover was killed on an alien planet; it was not something you’d wish even on your worst enemy. Not even on that damned Thanos. Only because the purple alien did not deserve love.

“I saw her sitting under a tree. I supposed she was surprised to see me so suddenly. But I did mention that the portal is not stable; that I might not be able to open it for some time. Before it closed, I did shout that help is on the way. She just had to wait.” He just hoped that the Black Widow could hear him through the static of the rapidly collapsing portal.

Exhaling a deep breath of relief, Maria’s shoulders loosened their tense muscles and she felt the heaviness in her heart lifted. Joy was clearly plastered on the others’ faces. Natasha was alive. On that blasted planet Vormir. With the ghost of Red Skull. Oh crap! But they were going to bring her home. Just as soon as they prepped the Zephyr and determined their flight plan.

~~~~####~~~~

_Somewhere in the countryside_

Pepper Potts just put her daughter to bed after they finished dinner. She made extra just in case. She just hoped it wasn’t a pipe dream. However, she knew not to expect that everything would go as people wished. Take her, for example. She was only to be an assistant to one Tony Stark, a genius billionaire a.k.a. an asshole womanizer. But she had to deal with a lot of craps the guy put her through and cleaned up his mess. Then, Fate took a turn for the better when he appointed her CEO – apparently, he was dying at that time – and they eventually fell in love, got married and had Morgan.

She remembered when Natasha and Daisy came for a couple days four years ago; the younger woman teased them to have a kid already. Did she know before she said that? Probably something future Maria told her. Although Tony looked like he was constipated at that time, he later asked her whether she wanted to have a child with him. When she said that she would love to, he suggested they tried right away. Surprise did not begin to be enough to describe her feelings at that moment. She was ecstatic and fell more in love with her husband.

She was brought out of her musing when the doorbell rang. ‘Hopefully that doesn’t wake her up,’ Pepper muttered to herself as she walked to answer the door. It was Steve Rogers. Looking behind him, she saw nobody else. There was not a glimpse of her husband. When her eyes returned to Steve, his face was downcast and she knew that the ops failed.

She invited Steve inside, and served him dinner with the portion she cooked for her husband. He declined but she insisted. Holding in her tears, she listened to the Captain’s recount of the mission. She was sad and disappointed that they couldn’t save Tony. But she couldn’t not to feel relieved that Natasha and those who died had been resurrected. That was when Steve said that apparently, she was stuck on that planet where she died. So, Daisy, Maria and a few others would go there to bring the redhead home.

The next day, Daisy called her. She asked Pepper to preserve Tony’s body. They were going to space. They would look for new ways to help him. Pepper was reluctant because she did not want to have her hope up only to have it shattered. Daisy, however, was being particularly firm and asked for at least one more try. If this failed, then, she would stop. Pepper didn’t have the heart to deny the younger woman and to be honest, she was still hoping for Tony to be revived, however that might be. So, she promised that she’d do as the Inhuman requested.

~~~~####~~~~

Ramona was pondering the likelihood of her predictions – the one that was not derived from the prophecy. Or was it? For someone who had roamed the earth for quite some time, she did not have all the answers to every question. Everything she knew was bound to earth and just a few beyond this realm.

Besides that strange doctor, the only person whom she could discuss this otherworldly stuff with was Daisy. She alleged that it was because they met years ago and Ramona did give her things that actually supported her claims on magic and knowledge of old in spite of her scientific background. Well, like Simmons once said ‘Magic is science we don’t understand yet.’ The Inhuman had changed a lot; from a small, timid child to reckless idiot to ruthless warrior. But, always honed her intelligence and never gave up (unless you count those days she adorned Goth attire and being suicidal).

As soon as she heard the doctor talked about some sort of force that kept him away from Vormir, she sought Barton out; wanting him to recount their experience on that planet. To both his and Maria’s credits, they were composed enough not to get overwhelmed with feelings throughout the retelling session. Trip, Daisy and Wanda (who was going to join their journey) couldn’t keep the look of horror off their faces. Ramona was certain that she now knew what caused it and they were going there to pluck the Black Widow from that wretched place.

Daisy talked with Ramona about possibilities while the others just listened. They did interject once in a while, but since they had no knowledge of the topic, they couldn’t supply much. Ramona told her that she saw this, that the prophecy was not yet fully fulfilled. Some of the verses were a telling, that they’d go on this journey. 

“The final part…” Wanda could hear Daisy whispered softly.

“What about the final part? Did it tell us how to do this?” she inquired, looking at both Ramona and Daisy.

“That part is pretty straight forward. That’s why I agreed with everything we did. But it doesn’t answer the whole Wh-questions.” Ramona replied. When the others looked at her oddly, she added, “You know, the who, when, where, what, which and how.”

“How did the verses go?”

“It’s rather long.”

“Could you recite that part for us?” Maria asked curiously.

“Would you like to do the honor, Daisy?”

“Well, let’s see if I can remember the exact words. Correct me if I’m wrong, Ramona.” When the gypsy nodded, Daisy started her recitation. “Okay, here goes…”

_What’s to come is the end of everything, but the end of living things it’s not_   
_What is fought might seem for naught, but it gives the universe a proverbial nod_   
_The collective strength of those who sought peace and hope just a notch_   
_Seeking the chance to remedy the calamity it wrought._

_An ancient knowledge might come forth;_   
_An ancient being to nudge an indomitable force,_   
_With things irreparable we move on,_   
_In the face of impossibility we forge on,_   
_In the depths of despair we live on,_   
_In the deepest of faith we stand on._   
_Embolden by the potency of aid unknown,_   
_A help given is a hope proven,_   
_Interventions bequeathed become our haven,_   
_To use everything is a given,_   
_To halt is never an option._

_In the battle against humanity,_   
_We turn to fate and destiny,_   
_We take the risks and we combine_   
_Olden ways and modern technology,_   
_Until then would we find_   
_A fighting chance and liberty,_   
_To be who we have to be – someone who is worthy._

_To move the hands of time_   
_To change the course of life_   
_To move along with time and we would thrive_

_Scouring the universe to and fro_   
_For the chance that would, oh_   
_Release the burden forced upon us, though_   
_With hearts pounding in exultation,_   
_And our souls once more unfold,_   
_With wonder and divine inspiration,_   
_The life and tears that fall_   
_Would not put us on hold,_   
_To move forward and fight like warriors of old._

_What we see is what we hold_   
_Within our hearts of gold,_   
_We advance no matter what we’re told_   
_And we play our every role,_   
_Seeking to reach a noble goal_   
_To bring back the hope, the chance, the love of old._

_When all is done and everything’s unfold,_   
_Lo and behold,_   
_We tell the universe to put the history untold,_   
_For the balance would return the peace to us all._

After Daisy finished the prophecy, she looked at each of them before her eyes stopped on Ramona, silently asking if she said it all correctly. When Ramona nodded, she released a breath of relief.

“That was long. And it was only the final part? How many parts are there?” Both the gypsy and Inhuman just grimaced when the others exclaimed their surprise over the length of the verses.

“Many. There are a few parts where it tells everything that happens such as Thanos. Then, there are individual parts that pertain to those involved.” Ramona responded.

“How many individuals exactly? There are many of us involved.” Sharon asked incredulously.

“Are you saying that you memorized them all?” Trip skeptically uttered.

“It was a lengthy prophecy. It took up a whole book. But Daisy and I studied it for years. Do you remember the first time you guys met me?” When they nodded, she added, “every time I was about to meet any of you, I would receive a foresight that told me where to go. Then, your own verses would pop up once I tried reading your fortune, which was just a ruse to get you to stay for a while anyway.”

“So, that was how you found me and Clint. At a carnival of all places.” When the others looked at her curiously, Daisy simply said “I was with the Rinaldis at the time.”

Recognition dawned on them, including Wanda. Daisy once told her about the foster family who managed to bypass the placement protocol put on her and adopted her. They gave her their name, only to be killed in a car crash a few months later. The Rinaldis were the ones who encouraged her to embrace her intelligence and do things that she found interesting. It was during this placement that Daisy met the Carters and subsequently lived with them for quite some time after the death of her adopted parents before Social Service came a-calling and she was returned to St. Agnes Orphanage, her adoption was unacknowledged despite its legality.

“Wait, this was when you wanted us to learn Greek, wasn’t it?” Maria remembered that time. The little girl she babysat was determined to learn the new language, among other things. In fact, they were all very big in learning new things, good and otherwise. Even the indomitable Peggy Carter had a hard time dealing with them and always had to come to their rescue.

Ramona decided to ask the others their interpretations of the verses. “So, what can you interpret from the verses?”

Maria started with the first verse, stating that it basically described what they had been doing all this while, which was true. Trip then added that the last verse proved that they would succeed and it may not be with time traveling. Also correct. Sharon inferred that the verses mentioned messing with time and some things were irreparable – also true – like what they just did (traveled to the past and still Tony Stark died).

Lastly, Wanda deduced that the middle part referred to the challenges, the help and the actions to take in this quest. However, none of them could predict – as she mentioned earlier – the answers to the questions. But she and Daisy had a few ideas. Still Ramona was glad that all four of them were able to decipher the gist of the divination. And all of them agreed that this was what they must do.

Therefore, they hatched out a mad plan. She and Ramona had something extra they wanted to do out in space anyway. They heard of something. They witnessed it during their previous travel, and they would go to it; with good intention. Daisy also talked with Carol Danvers about her space travels – there was something she wanted to know too. She even called Pepper to ask her to hold on to Tony until they got back.

So, they decided that Sharon and Kevin would stay behind as acting heads of the Shadow Council while they went to retrieve Natasha from Vormir. They would then make sure that Stage 4 of the Shadow Protocol was in effect till they returned. S.H.I.E.L.D. would be their main point of contact back on Earth; while S.W.O.R.D. and Carol (when she was out there) were their points of contact in space. At the moment, she was staying planetside for a while.

Preparation was set. The Zephyr Two was prepped and had undergone a thorough maintenance check. It was also stocked with supplies, fuels, ammunition and anything they needed in deep outer space. At Sharon and Kevin’s insistence, they trained for group fights in the newly designed space simulation framework before they leave due to a few reasons the less experienced crew would find out later. They also prepared and drilled contingency plans into each other. It was better to be prepared when unexpected things happened during their journey. Knowing who would captain the mission, they were bound to face some sooner rather than later.

Two weeks after the last battle with Thanos, Daisy, Wanda, Maria, Trip and Ramona boarded the Z2 to space. Their destination: Vormir. Unfortunately, in their haste to reach Natasha, they flew straight into trouble, which was not easy to escape when you have the infamous Quake – due to numerous shenanigans in space, was wanted by many – onboard.


	13. Back in Space

They loaded everything they needed for the last time onto the Zephyr Two. Then, they did the final check on their inventory and the vessel itself. After consulted Carol for the right coordinates and again with Barton on everything he could remember about Vormir – the planet they were heading to, they were ready. Suited up in their brand new space uniform, they gathered in the hangar. Congregating with their friends and family before venturing out to outer space with well wishes and the order to return safely home, they vowed to accomplish their mission come what may.

After saying goodbye, Maria Hill, Antoine Triplett, Wanda Maximoff, Daisy Johnson and Ramona the Gypsy walked up the ramp of the plane and went straight to their respective duties on the Z2 prior to flying. Trip was doing his final pre-flight check, while Daisy was establishing communications with S.H.I.E.L.D. and S.W.O.R.D. Wanda, Ramona and Maria were checking throughout the Zephyr to make sure that everything was locked and secured. They took about 15 minutes before all five of them were seated at their respective seats at the bridge of the interstellar starship.

Waiting for the hangar to open, they reassured themselves and each other that they’d beat all odds and be successful in their mission. Then, sending signals to both agencies indicating that they were ready to launch, they fortified themselves for the upcoming lurch onto the atmosphere. To preserve the number of times they could jump-drive or use the teleportation device, as well as giving everybody the experience and the anticipation of a common rocket lift off, they decided to launch into space the traditional way. Well, it won’t hurt to commence their mission in style.

[This is Zephyr Two to S.H.I.E.L.D. We’re ready for take off.]

[This is S.H.I.E.L.D. to Zephyr Two. Copy that. Ready when you are.]

[This is Zephyr Two to S.W.O.R.D. We’ll thrust upward at gradually accelerated speed after 50,000 feet. We’ll breach the Karman Line in 60 seconds after that and reach the exosphere in 5 minutes. We’ll reestablish communication once we reach the exobase at 700km.]

[This is S.W.O.R.D. to Zephyr Two. Copy that. We’ll see you on the other side.]

The overhead roof of the hangar was fully opened. The Zephyr Two was preparing to lift off. The quiet buzz of the vessel, the sound of the waterfall of lake water hammering into the drainage and the chatters from the people sending them off were the only loud noise in the underwater bay. Then, the countdown started and everyone (the crew, those at S.H.I.E.L.D. including the Avengers, the Council members, their family and close friends and the agents at S.W.O.R.D.) was bracing themselves.

[Ready to lift off in 10 seconds]

The screen that displayed the countdown accompanying the base’s A.I.’s voice captured everyone’s attention barred those on the Zephyr. They were focused on the control console at the bridge of the vessel.

10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… and off they went.

The plane was in the air in seconds and continued moving higher. Once they neared the 50,000 ft. – the height that marked the highest point a common plane can fly at without the risk of stalling – they adjusted its upward thrust, utilizing the oxygen for optimum combustion and soared high and rapidly into the outer layer of the atmosphere.

Beginning at 5000mph, the Zephyr Two reached the Karman Line at 62 miles or 100km above sea level, which was the standard point/height in which many agencies and organizations defined space officially, in 60 seconds. The second stage of propulsion using liquid-based fuel sent them higher far above the thermosphere with more accelerated velocity that they reached the exobase in the next 4 minutes.

[This is Zephyr Two to S.H.I.E.L.D. We’ve reached the exobase and will transfer communication fully to S.W.O.R.D.]

[This is S.H.I.E.L.D. to Zephyr Two. Copy that. Good luck agents and have a safe journey. S.H.I.E.L.D. out.]

[This is Zephyr Two to S.H.I.E.L.D. Roger and out.]

[This is Zephyr Two to S.W.O.R.D. We’ve reached the exobase and will continue to propel through the exosphere.]

[This is S.W.O.R.D. to Zephyr Two. Copy that. We see you in the orbit and will continue tracking your movement.]

They continued to go further from the earth’s atmosphere. With a speed that exceeded 20,000mph, it took them approximately 16 minutes to breach the exosphere of the planet and began drifting in outer space, completely out of range of the earth’s gravitational pull.

[This is Zephyr Two to S.W.O.R.D. We have successfully left the exosphere and we’ll be on our way to Vormir. We’ll patch communication again before reaching the Asteroid Belt in about 48 hours. Wish us luck.]

[This is S.W.O.R.D. to Zephyr Two. Copy that. Good luck agents. S.W.O.R.D. out.]

[This is Zephyr Two to S.W.O.R.D. Roger and out.]

~~~~####~~~~

The Zephyr Two was currently floating towards the Asteroid Belt at a moderate speed, giving its crew some time to reorient themselves for a while. Trip pushed the button to fix the gravity within the spacecraft to imitate earth and they can now move freely.

Among them all, Maria was a bit disoriented as it was her first time off planet, not to mention that they went up very fast (about five times the speed of common rockets!). Wanda was doing a lot better than the first time she joined their space expedition. Meanwhile, Daisy, Trip and Ramona – already expert voyagers – had no problem getting the hang of being in space in no time. 

Confirming the trajectory they’d be taking, the five occupants on the Z2 were on a relaxing mood and they’d just enjoyed looking out at the stars and other bodies in the cosmos they passed through until they reached the Asteroid Belt. After two days, everybody was now sturdy on their feet and ready for action at any time. Maria was awed at the breathtaking view in space, which meant that she saw practically nothing but void of space interspersed occasionally with the blinking of stars. Still, she considered it an amazing experience.

A few miles before they entered the rocky zone, they reached out to S.W.O.R.D. for the final time before they’d be without any contact with earth until they were on the way home, weeks or months later.

[This is Zephyr Two to S.W.O.R.D. Do you copy?]

After a few crackles, the connections were patched through and the command center at S.W.O.R.D. appeared on the screen.

[This is S.W.O.R.D. to Zephyr Two. Yes. We can hear you loud and clear.]

[We have reached the Asteroid Belt. We’ll proceed toward Vormir with a few jumps after we pass through the rocky zone. We’ll be incommunicado right after.]

[Copy that. Very well agents. We’ll also relay the information to S.H.I.E.L.D. Godspeed and good luck Zephyr Two. We’ll wait for your safe return.]

[Will do. Thank you. Zephyr Two out.]

[Roger that. S.W.O.R.D. out.]

And the screen went blank. The crew of Z2 prepared to jump to get to Vormir faster. Once they safely maneuvered out of the rocky zone, they jumped a few light years away from the Asteroid Belt, inching further towards their destination.

The Zephyr Two appeared a few light years away from their previous location. They were still somewhere within the Milky Way galaxy. Vormir was still hundreds of thousands of light years away. Instead of jumping straight there consecutively, they decided to take at least 3 – 6 hours or more between jumps to just drift in space to allow the crew some time to rest or sleep or train. Who knew what they might see or discover while doing so. In addition, they also needed to ensure that they were going on the right route after each jump. Besides, they had faith in Natasha’s abilities to survive anywhere for a few more days.

~~~~####~~~~

Between jumps, on the way to Vormir, they decided to continue their training. So, engaging autopilot and protective protocol, all five crew members of the Zephyr Two trickled into the gym and began warming up. They did cardio and then sparred for a while. They also trained using a multitude of weapons and powers (only mildly lest they damaged the spaceship) before they did group training.

“Okay, let’s do space combat training.” Daisy suggested after 15 minutes of rest. “You guys up for it?” They all nodded and got up to get ready. They went into the special training room which was next to the gym they were in a moment ago. While putting on their combat gears and helmets, Daisy gave her order to the Zephyr Two’s A.I.

“F.I.L.I.A.?”

“Yes Boss?”

“Is the Zephyr still protected? Anything in the nearby twenty light years’ perimeter?” She just had to check for their safety first because once they were in the framework, they’d better not be disturbed.

“The protective protocol is still working. Scanning the perimeter…” It took F.I.L.I.A. less than a minute to complete the task. “There is nothing within twenty light years’ perimeter of the Zephyr, neither bodies nor machines are detected.”

“Good. Okay F.I.L.I.A. Engage space combat training module. Start with Segment 1. Begin at minimum and gradually increase the level of difficulty.”

“How long do you want it to be set up?”

“We’ll do two segments today. Let’s try 30 minutes for each segment – all levels, with 10 minutes interval.”

“Very well, boss. Space combat training module activated.”

There was a beep and then a transparent protective barrier engulfed the training room. Those who were inside had the option whether to see through the barrier or not. However, nobody on the outside could see what was happening on the inside. The training room was also designed as a safe room/hidden control centre should the Zephyr Two was infiltrated.

“F.I.L.I.A., if there is any danger detected, disengage the module immediately.”

“Roger that boss. Protective barrier had been set up. Initiating Segment 1. One minute countdown.”

When the timer reached 10 seconds, everybody was ready at stance and weapons (designed specifically for the module) drawn. Then, the training began.

“Okay folks. Let’s roll!” And they all charged at the very real simulated enemy in the module framework with an organised battle tactic.

Space combat module had 10 segments. It involved training on close quarter combat, weapons and powers, endurance, militaristic styles and tactics, stealth and aptitude whether in isolation or combinations of some aspects depending on the level of difficulties. Each segment represented different scenarios and locations along with a multitude of geographical and atmospheric variances. It was even harder than SEAL and Delta Force training combined.

It was inspired and designed by Daisy Johnson and Natasha Romanoff – they even patented it. Its objective was to train those going to space especially the specialists, in all sorts of situations that they could get into. They built this module on the Zephyrs, at the Lighthouse, the Aquaria base, the base in the hidden valley, at S.W.O.R.D. and three helicarriers that were usually used to travel the space as well as on their very first hidden space station.

However, the ones at the Lighthouse and on the Z2 were equipped with the option for a more extreme version because both Natasha and Daisy were suicidal maniacs who found deadly challenges exhilarating. That was why only one person ever managed to complete the whole module individually and the same person also finished it with a partner in pair/group category. They even did it at the highest level of difficulties. And they did not come out unscathed. In fact, every time they finished a segment of the second half of the module, they looked like crap. They also felt like it too and would spend at least two days to recuperate before they continued on with the next one.

Segments 1 – 2 were kind of easy. It was more or less like the combat training they had been doing back on earth with some added space aspects. All that had ever been crew members of the Z2 (except non-combatant crew like Jane Foster) completed both segments quite easily on their own and effortlessly in pairs or groups.

Segments 3 – 4 were difficult. Not everybody could pass them. Even though all of the current team managed to complete these individually and in groups, they did not find it easy. Maria (who was just resurrected) and Wanda (who focused more on powers) only barely completed them right before they embarked on this journey.

Everyone found Segments 5 – 6 very extreme. Only a few managed to complete them. Segments 7 – 8 were brutal while Segment 9 was considered pretty deadly and Segment 10 – the hellish stage – was damn near impossible for anyone to last five minutes, let alone completing it. Plus, Segment 10 can only be initiated on the ground, while the vessel only needed to be stationary when Segments 8 and 9 were initiated, though it could still be airborne.

~~~~####~~~~

The training was a success and everybody was able to do their part perfectly in completing the first segment. Currently, they were on a 10-minute break.

“That was way more difficult than the one at the Lighthouse. And I thought the Lighthouse has the advanced version.” Wanda exclaimed, gasping for breath.

“True. But what you experienced over there was just a little harder than the normal version. This one was the difficult stage.”

“Difficult or extreme?” Ramona wheezed.

“We haven’t gone extreme yet.” Daisy just grinned like undergoing an extreme training was something fun.

“You said all levels. How many levels are there? When I was undergoing the 5th and 6th segments, they began very extreme in my opinion and I hardly passed them.” Ramona was getting to breathe easier again.

“What we just trained on was the extra difficult level. The hardest in half of the maximum time we designed for each segment. May said it was like all the training at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy combined, minus the space parts.”

“Which segment is May currently at?” Trip asked curiously.

“She’s pretty advanced.”

“If that was the hardest for Segment 1, then Segment 2 would be extreme. No. Brutal. Yep, it’s going to be brutal. How am I gonna survive that?”

“Wanda, you can do it. You are getting better at hand-to-power combat and endurance training. I’m sure you could hold on for another 30 minutes.” Daisy said encouragingly. “Besides, you know that we’re gonna change tactics for this one. It’ll be more spymaster-ish than mortal combat-ish.”

“You seemed to not have any problems at all. How the heck is that possible. We fought side by side. Yet, we are out of breath and you looked like you just warmed up.” Maria said in disbelief.

Grinning, Daisy explained, “I have enhanced physical condition as an Inhuman.”

“Trip is an Inhuman too. But he was gasping for breath like the rest of us.” Wanda said, dubiously eyeing Trip.

Rolling his eyes, Trip explained about his power. “My power is not using physical energy. It’s more like the mind played the vital role in conjuring those camouflage. So, my mind is strengthened while my body is just a little stronger than before. Probably due to the Kree’s DNA.”

“Exactly. On the other hand, my power is both mental and physical based. Sometimes, it reacted to my emotions too like when I first gone through terrigenesis. And all the actions over the years built my endurance and agility as well as strengthened my body and with what Lash did to me, my mind is reinforced too – it made me impervious to mind control and attack. In addition to the Kree DNA, I also have the serum; and my mom’s DNA helped me to regenerate my cells faster.”

That being said, Daisy knew that what advantages she had could also be her weaknesses because what made a person strong may possibly be what caused them pain. She shuddered when she recalled the Hive fiasco. How she used her power on the people she loved and how guilty she felt afterwards that she went rogue for months. The more her team and family looked for her, the more guilt-ridden she became. Even though she realized that they were worried about her, she just couldn’t make herself stop. Hence, the temporary suicidal goth period a few years back.

“That’s handy.”

“Yeah, but let’s hope emotions do not trigger my power that backlashes on me and those around me.”

“Those days were difficult. Initially, when we found out about your power, I was confused that nothing happened to me after the terrigenesis, which was not true at all for I did have it; it was just not destructive. So, we didn’t realize it sooner. Then, when we found out that I was affected too, we had such a difficult time accepting and adapting to those changes. Even when I wanted to, I couldn’t help you. Not when I was struggling with my new-found ability too.” Trip remembered everything that happened years ago and how hard it was to be a newly reborn Inhuman.

“I remembered how confused we all were when doors disappeared and weird things appeared out of nowhere. Not to mention changes made to some rooms at the Playground.” They later realized that nothing was missing or changed at their base. It was all glamours and camouflage unconsciously created by Trip.

After a few moments spent talking about the good old days, Daisy redirected their conversation to the space combat module. She also added that she co-designed the module and already trained using it many times before. So, she was used to it.

“I’ll have you know, that we programmed it to be varied in the motion and frames of movement. So, even Natasha and I couldn’t possibly know when and from where the bots would attack. All we know is the storyboard and the damage they could do. But, with so many codes and protocols written, we couldn’t remember all of them. That is why, every time we have group training, all we do is involved in the fight. We let you guys solve the cases or find the next clues, because those things, we remember.”

“Okay, that’s useful and genius too. How did you two come up with this module anyway?”

“Yeah, nobody knows that. What gave the idea?”

“Oh well, it just came up while we were playing video games.” She answered offhandedly but they just stared at her in disbelief.

“Really. We had a few intense stints of video games battles.” She added sheepishly.

The other four occupants in the room continued to look at her incredulously until Maria chuckled.

“Video games huh? Trust you and Natasha to come up with ideas while playing video games.”

“She was relentless and never wanted to accept defeat.”

“And you both are sore losers.” Trip added wryly. “Such rivalry in video games. So, who’s leading the tally?”

“I don’t know. Natasha ripped the note to pieces and then shoved them into LMD Coulson’s mouth when she lost after he interrupted our game.” She grinned. “She also introduced him to her Widow’s bite and batons. After that, we’re no longer interested in keeping the score.”

“Is that why I always hear you trash-talking each other at the facility?” Wanda always wondered why though. “So, it’s because of video games?”

“So, that’s why there are so many broken controllers in the game room.”

Their break was over with F.I.L.I.A.’s announcement.

“Sorry to interrupt everyone. It’s already 10 minutes. Are we going to proceed to the next segment, boss?”

“Yes, F.I.L.I.A. You may initiate Segment 2.”

“Everyone, Segment 2 will begin in one minute. Starting countdown.”

And so, they continued the space combat training for the next 30 minutes. When it was over, everybody was lying on the floor and gasping for breath. It may not be as physical as Segment 1 but it still challenged their endurance and strength. They were also dreading the next segments for they would be even more difficult and challenging. At the same time, the crew were also anticipating the next session because they did learn a lot during the training and it helped to strengthen them not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally as well as their bonds as comrades in battle.

Later, they decided to have the rest of the day just resting and sleeping, leaving F.I.L.I.A. in-charge. They were just so tired.

After he showered, Trip fell into oblivion once his head hit the pillow. He did not even have the energy to pull up the blanket.

Maria did not spend hours thinking about Natasha as she usually did because she could hardly open her eyes and almost fell asleep in the bathroom.

Ramona on the other hand was not as sleepy as the two mortals, but she was so damn tired. However, she still did her nightly routine without fail as well as consulting the universe and her crystal globe for any surprise that might come their way. There was something there, but the fatigue got to her and she burrowed herself under the blanket and fell blissfully asleep. Oh well, divination could wait until tomorrow.

In Daisy’s room, when she crawled into bed after a quick shower, Wanda was already there. They were so exhausted from the rigorous training. At least, she could have her girlfriend’s arms around her when they slumbered. She moved to snuggle closer and Daisy pulled her within her arms and they both fell instantly asleep.

The Zephyr Two continued moving at a constant speed for the next 12 hours before their next planned jump, at a point a few light years’ away, taking them closer to one Natasha Romanoff.


	14. Quake or Break? The Space Menace Returns

Maria Hill was counting the seconds she’d see Natasha again. She was so not expecting to have to add to the few days they were supposed to reach Vormir. It all started right before the third jump. They were already leaving the Orion Arm and moving towards the outer rim of the Perseus arm of the Milky Way when they entered a solar system in that region, thousands of light years away from Earth.

A few planets away from the brightest star that seemed to be the center of that particular solar system, they came to a space station. They were travelers. So, of course they’d visit the place. Though Daisy swore that the place looked so damn familiar.

Feeling excited to be visiting a space station, they all trickled out of the Z2 after docking safely on one of the grooves on the docking bay of the space station. It was Maria’s first time on such a place. She had never even stepped a foot at S.W.O.R.D. So, she was definitely excited. Oh, let’s be honest. Every one of them was excited just to be able to be on a bigger place they can walk around in.

Besides, they were looking forward to discover any new techs or weapons or interesting merchandise of alien origin. These people were collectors (whether they admitted it or not) and they were not going to waste the chance of getting their hands on anything they found remarkable. Plus, it was not every day one got the opportunity to travel the space.

They browsed the booths where the aliens were selling a bunch of stuff, from food to clothes to weapons and indistinguishable products. They bought some but mostly, they were just window shopping and at times bargain hunting for cheaper prices as they did not want to spend a lot on shopping, though money was never a problem for them. They had a lot on their persons especially Daisy, however debatable the means of her acquiring them in the past. Not that Maria knew of her mischief off their planet. She was dead, remember?

At one point, Daisy stated that this station seemed very familiar to her. She could pinpoint where things were and how to get to some of the places easily. Some merchants even greeted her and talked to her as if they’d seen her before. They were also given anything they seemed to be interested in free of charge or at insanely discounted prices. When asked about their generosity, they would answer ‘on the house’ or ‘we like you to have it’. Some even answered ‘it’s a little outdated, we’d like to have a space for the new ones.’

Maria saw this as weird but Ramona did not. Daisy just shrugged as if it was something normal and not declining anything. Maria guessed that perhaps her sister did visit this place in the past and involved in a trouble or something.

Then, Daisy swore when she saw someone who somehow looked very similar to a certain douchebag of a prince she last met a couple of years back. This was not good. He was supposed to still be imprisoned on Torak, half a galaxy away on the far side of the Scutum-Centaurus Arm of the Milky Way.

When she pointed it out to Ramona, the gypsy confirmed that the guy looked exactly like him; though she only saw his face in one of Daisy’s reports. But the likeness of both his physical and bearing were definitely identical to the prince.

In order to avoid troubles, they decided to leave the space station. Besides, they’d been there for a few hours already. So, they went to look for Trip and Wanda who surprisingly were not anywhere near them, as Wanda would never be far from Daisy’s side.

~~~~####~~~~

Unbeknownst to the humans, the prince and his goons were there on the space station for something nefarious. The place did belong to his family and he had a business to take care of. Looking towards the bar, he took a double take at the dark-skinned guy who was singing and dancing on the table. He recognized him and couldn’t believe his luck.

After looking around, he saw the person he was looking for: Quake, his nemesis, the one who threw him into captivity on an alien planet before his father sent a rescue squad to get his ass out of there; the terran who humiliated his father on his very own planet. He was the crown prince of a mighty planet of San-i-taris, heir to a powerful king who ruled this part of the solar system – and he vowed to get his revenge.

He took stock of the situation again and decided that the singing duo who seemed to be tripping balls would be his tickets in crossing off the Space Menace. In addition to getting his revenge, having his father’s proud of him was an added benefit. He really believed that his luck was getting better and better when a fight erupted among the people at the bar. Taking advantage of the debacle, he signaled his underlings and made his move. His other business could wait another day.

~~~~####~~~~

_A few hours later on board the Zephyr Two._

Maria, Daisy and Ramona were on a retrieval mission. One that was strategically hatched in a rush but the commander still made sure that they crossed all their t’s and dotted all their i’s. It needed to be foolproof. The details of the operation were as the followings:

i. Payload to retrieve: one Antoine Triplett and one Wanda Maximoff.

ii. Status: highly intoxicated.

iii. Threat level:

  *     * When sober : definitely dangerous.
    * Currently : non-existence due to unconsciousness.
    * Upon waking up : unknown (reason: refer to status).



iv. Plan of action: Get in, retrieve, and get out – silently and without mishaps.

You may be asking why on earth they were on a mission when what they needed to do was beat a hasty retreat after they saw an enemy of Daisy’s on-board the space station.

Okay, here was the highlight of their day. They had a blast visiting the space station, until they were not. What happened? One might ask. Well, you see, Trip and Wanda somehow managed to get themselves captured. How on earth were those two caught, they had no idea. Both got powers for goodness sake. They should have been able to free themselves easily, right? Wrong. Yes, they were powerful people but not when they couldn’t even be sober enough to actually utilize their abilities; especially when they were intoxicated on alien drugs.

Trip especially should know better. They should have stayed away from the puffies. How many times must they deal with the silliness of things or situations they were in because of those innocent-looking but dangerous treats? It seemed to happen on every other trip. They really needed to educate those going to space to avoid those sweets disasters.

~~~~####~~~~

_A few hours earlier, on the space station._

Now, let’s backtracked to a few hours earlier. Maria, Daisy and Ramona decided to get back to their vessel. So, they went looking for Trip and Wanda, who at the time were swaying on their feet as though they were dancing to a song only they listened to. Their eyes were glazed and both showed uncharacteristic behaviors like talking loudly and giggled a lot. Like that wasn’t strange enough, they even sang unintelligible songs only they knew the lyrics of in the middle of the bar – aloud, with microphones no less – to the applause of even more intoxicated audience.

Oh, let us note that Wanda was standing on top of one of the tables, singing a (techno? rock? They couldn’t decide on the genre) modified version of – was that a nursery rhyme? And a Christmas song? Huh, really? – and she was banging her head like a rock star. Trip was on the table next to her, singing and playing an instrument that looked like an electric guitar with the style of an overdramatic professional guitarist wannabe sans talent. They did look like they enjoyed themselves a little too much.

Maria was bewildered with the evidence of her eyes. She could not, for the life of her, believe what she was seeing as both were very good at staying out of the limelight. In fact, they would be happy to stay under the radar most of the time, but this incident proved her wrong. Those two idiots could and would be able to be such moronic clowns, making a spectacle of themselves in front of these aliens on a space station in the middle of nowhere. She’d never have guessed that there was a karaoke contest in space. But those two made it a competition of who could sing the worst.

What more unbelievable was that the people who were cheering for them even slipped in tokens and money and unknown stuff in their jackets as if they were strippers dancing the pole. Luckily, nobody was being handsy with Wanda or they’d be quaked by an irate Daisy. That would be messy. The commander shook her head and wondered what could have possibly gotten into them.

It was the puffies, Maria.

At the same time, it was a hilarious situation and seeing that Wanda was safe from being groped by the audience, Daisy who found it funny, was not letting that opportunity to get blackmailing materials got away just like that. She brought out her phone and grinned gleefully as she started recording everything. Seeing what her sister was doing, Maria just rolled her eyes. It seemed like Ramona did that too. She was sure she heard the gypsy muttered ‘not again’ in a resigned breath. Perhaps this wasn’t something new then.

Anyway, seeing that the moronic duo were still high strung in singing every silly songs they could come up with, plus the encouragement from the audience except the three agents, Maria decided to sit at the counter. Both Ramona and Daisy followed suit. Daisy was still recording and Maria was sure that she was planning inwardly to use it to prank them later. This was going to be longer than they thought. As long as the prince did not recognize them (‘them’ meant Daisy), it was fine to spend a few more minutes there. Maybe she should try some of those cool looking space drinks.

So, that was how Maria found herself sitting on a stool in a space bar, drinking weird looking beverage that tasted like scotch (which she approved and ordered her second), conversing with Daisy and Ramona before all hell broke loose. She did not even get to taste her second shot! ‘Oh, c’mon, let a girl enjoys her drinks dammit!’ Some drunken assholes got physical and started a fistfight that led into a cluster of fisticuffs when other drunks joined in; sending the still sober patrons scurried away and left the bar partly damaged.

Grabbing the bottles near the counter as weapons was handy as they were making their way amongst the fighting aliens. Ducking and inching out of the bar while still looking for Trip and Wanda, was easy for experienced agents like them. What made it difficult was that the duo were no longer where they were seen last. That presented a problem for the Z2’s crew. As per the unwritten rules of the team, once there was a fight or a plausible problem coming their way, they should all rush to the Zephyr and get the hell out of dodge.

Unfortunately, searching inside the bar amongst the brainless drunken brawns did not yield anything. So, they ventured outside. At one point, Maria spotted a man and a woman who looked exactly like their tipsy friends being led away into a spaceship, both were unconscious. Alerting the other ladies, they sprinted toward the spaceship but they were too late. It had already undocking itself and soon left the space station.

Ramona managed to use her power to plant something on the spaceship – shout out to magic, folks! She hoped the tracker could stand the harsh condition in space until they could get to their friends. The only clue as to whom it belonged to that they could see was the sign painted on the ship’s exterior body. A very familiar one that Maria was sure had Daisy’s blood boiling as indicated by the way she growled. It also pasted the looks of relief, determination and annoyance on her face. Now, what kind of thoughts crossed her sister’s mind that put such fleeting expressions on her face?

~~~~####~~~~

_Present time_

Though their exploit at the bar was horrendously embarrassing, leaving Trip and Wanda was not an option. So, they staged a rescue mission. Since Ramona was more familiar with the Zephyr than Maria, she would stay there and work back end. Meanwhile, Maria and Daisy got down to infiltrating the prison – on a nearby planet, in a fucking volcano! And Daisy Johnson was certain that she’d been here before and it was not on a friendly visit.

The prison’s security held no resistance against them because they encountered no one on the way in. They went in as if they owned the place. The security level of the prison was a laughing matter. Bypassing it was child play.

Maria was amazed at how Daisy seemed to know her way as they were stealthily navigating the maze of the prison’s hallway, but she was curious. Adding to the fact that her sister admitted to have been to the space station earlier, coupled with the way Ramona muttered in resignation while they were at the bar; she could guess that this kind of things probably had happened before.

What did she get herself into when Maria was dead? A lot of things apparently. Now, she hated Thanos a lot more for making her lose five fucking years and missed all the adventures with her loved ones.

The two agents found the two errant members of their crew in one of the high security cells on one of the lowest floors of the prison – deep underground. It was ungodly warm as it should be because they were actually in the bowel of a fucking volcano! An active one too, mind you. The smell of sulfur and unwashed bodies with a hint of something rotten all the way to the cell was nauseating and they were trying their damnedest not to lose the content of their stomachs then and there with every single step they took.

They were both sweating like pigs and couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there and to shower. This was one of the most uncomfortable missions they’d ever been on. Considering their tally, this was barely unbearable that it made to the top five of the kinds of missions they did not want to take on ever again. They would just send Trip and Wanda on such missions in the future as punishments for dragging them into this.

With Daisy using her powers discreetly while meddling with the electronics of the cell’s locking mechanism, they easily freed the duo and immediately left the cell as silently as possible. Yeah, they wished! Tried as they might to leave quietly but with Quake being the MOST WANTED in space, there bound to be complications. Even though not all of them were because of Daisy. Not this time at least.

Anyway, when there was trouble, they could always blame Quake, regardless of whether she was there or not. Plus, she never denied nor confirmed any of the allegations. More fame towards her reputation then; and to think that at one point in her life, she hated to be the focus of the media.

Both Trip and Wanda were still a bit woozy. Therefore, when the guards realized that their prison’s security was breached and a prison break attempt was in motion, both sisters blamed them. Just cause. Silence obviously did not agree with the inebriated pair, which led the guards to them. Maria was regretting not slapping a duct tape on their mouths before they escaped; the fact that there was no duct tape anywhere she was looking was beside the point. As if that would make any difference.

Wanda was sort of losing her shit in playing with her powers. That too caused disturbance when a few cells were opened by the red wisps originating from the Sokovian. Okay, why on earth didn’t she do that to free themselves earlier? Nevertheless, they did not have the time to check whether the lucky prisoners were deadly dangerous or not or to relock the cells for the guards were already on their tails.

This was making Daisy reflected on her first space adventure, when they were looking for Fitz. That time, they went down to the planet for a supply run after they escaped the pandemonium on the very same space station and Davis was captured just because he was at the wrong place and at the wrong time. So, the team went on a rescue mission – well, more like, Daisy worked the grunt side of the ops, with Piper as backup and Simmons in their ears, who was in need of a rescue mission of her own soon after.

Davis was in this very same prison, near this very same part of the building, as luck would have it. The team came to a moment during which it was either to quake and break through the prison guards storming in their direction or to get away before they had to deal with their opponents when the alarm went off.

Back to the present, the team was trying to get out. However, when did they ever have Lady Luck on their side? Things just had to go sideways. Due to some prisoners who were let out – courtesy of one Scarlet Witch, cacophony ensued within the volcanic penitentiary. Thus, blocking their easy escape. And Daisy had had enough. She just wanted to shower dammit! And probably dunked Wanda and Trip in cold water. Oh, she’d do that alright once they were back on the Zephyr.

Turning to look at Maria, her sister was looking stoic and seemed very composed despite the discomfort she surely felt. How the heck did she do that? Daisy had always admired the taller woman’s ability to look cool, calm and collected even under duress. Ever the commander, Ice Queen Hill would not let this pesky situation tarnished her reputation. This might probably be one of those times she’d wear that title proudly. Heck, Daisy wished she could get her hands on some ice cubes at the moment. The heat was too stifling.

After a few fisticuffs episodes on the way up, they reached the upper part of the prison. That was when the situation had gotten out of control – for the prison of course. Apparently, the Maximoff girl found her red wisps so fascinating that she messed with more locks along the way. The others only realized this when they saw aliens who were most definitely not the guards trailing behind them.

When they reached the lobby – yes, they went that route, no more sneaking around because they’d been made and well, they couldn’t really remember where to go after their mad dash up too many floors anyway, bar the obvious exit which was the entrance. There were screens everywhere with some familiar faces on most of them especially Daisy’s. And Daisy’s had the words ‘QUAKE, THE SPACE MENACE. MOST WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE’ under her pictures in multiple languages. It also had audio and video versions.

Maria had to ask her why they were referring to her as The Space Menace and why she was in the most wanted and bounty hit lists. This caused the still high Trip to guffaw and started saying gibberish. Seeing the look on Maria’s face, Daisy quipped that the king must have still been very pissed off with her even after 5 years. And Ramona added that she also caused the prince’s incarceration a couple of years ago. So, of course they were angry. Maria was so going to dig up on that story later.

There were chatters around about Quake when everybody saw her and the screens. Daisy so wanted to avoid any confrontations especially when people recognized who she was. So, she concentrated for a while and worked on finding the vibrations of the weapons around the lobby and on the guards. Once she found the right frequency, she focused her powers and decimated all arms to dust. Then, she did the same to all electronic devices in the building – it was highly advisable to not have their faces known by others when they were Quake’s associates. That was all the confirmation needed of her identity to the joy of the prisoners and to the wardens’ horror.

Let it be known that this incident marked the moment in the history of that particular prison on that particular planet of a particular sadistic tyrant (whom they trashed before and by whom we meant Daisy), where they had been a victim to the troubles of a planet-scaled humiliating proportion – courtesy of Quake a.k.a. The Space Menace, for the second time!

“That’s Quake, the Space Menace!” someone’s shout was heard among the voices that shrouded the lobby.

The place reverberated with excited cheering from the prisoners while the wardens groaned and swore.

“Capture her. That’s a priority. Do not let her escape. The king wanted her dead or alive!”

Yup, that confirmed Maria’s theory that Daisy was making mischief in space and she had been to this prison before. ‘Oh dear, what now?’ Looking at the Inhuman, she caught her eyes and communicated silently ‘we’ll talk about this later’ before both focused their attentions to the situation at hand.

She was also surprised that Daisy did not use her power again to cause a little distraction by quaking the prison just a bit or to simply destroy the place. It showed how she had matured over the years by not merely causing destruction whenever she was in a bind, especially when they might still have some prisoners left in that building. Little did Maria know, that was not the case as Daisy usually left destruction of many sorts – physical, financial, reputation and even political to name a few, in her wake. It was just that if Daisy used her power, they risked the whole compound to sink into the volcano. She may be able to cause earthquakes and shockwaves, but she was not fireproof.

The prisoners, on the other hand, were smiling joyously and felt reinvigorated as they realized that the renowned Quake had come to their rescue and proceeded to charge against the guards, determined to barricade them from the terrans who were trying to open the front door. Once the door was opened – by sending a pulse of wave in its direction, thus destroying it altogether – Daisy turned around and yelled at them to duck. Then, she released a mild pulse just enough to send the guards flying and some even fell unconscious after being slammed to the walls.

Seconds later, Daisy was already at the outer gate (with a few more guards scattered on the ground bruised or/and knocked out) and she simply blasted the sturdy metal structure and everybody sprinted out and got themselves far away from the prison. At the same time, the inmates thanked her profusely for rescuing them though it was done unintentionally (she’d never let them know about that). Some even mentioned that they were framed, arrested and convicted because of the king’s paranoia.

Daisy, Maria, Trip and Wanda were among the first to escape and they ran straight toward the Zephyr, feinting here and there once or twice to make sure that they were not being followed. They reached the Zephyr Two half an hour later, strapped themselves in their seats and teleported straight into the planet’s upper atmosphere.

Checking the coordinate for the next jump, they braced themselves as Ramona pushed the button and they jumped hundreds of thousands of light years away out of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way. When they emerged near the Large Magellanic Cloud, they immediately steered the Z2 toward the Helgentar star system on which Planet Vormir was a part of its celestial bodies. Activating lightspeed mode, the crew went to their quarters to wash up and get some rest, leaving Ramona in-charge at the helm.

~~~~####~~~~

Back at the volcanic prison, the head warden sighed in furious resignation at the aftermath of the chaos erupted when he was out on his midday break. It was only an hour and he returned to damaged buildings and many of his underlings were down for the count. He pinched the bridge of his nose when he felt an oncoming headache as he was briefed on the number of the escapees – none of the psychopaths, thank goodness.

After hearing the recount of what happened, he dreaded the moment he had to inform the royals of the prison break; staged by the legendary Quake – mortal enemy of their planet (or more like the archenemy of their king and crown prince. The people just didn’t care. Most even hated their sovereign) – for the second time! He groaned and got back to work to fix whatever damage that can be fixed. Oh, how he hated his job! Maybe he should just resign and move to the suburbs. His parents’ ranch was in need of a good foreman. Yup! He might just do that. Here he was hoping that he would not be punished – too severely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The puffies – an alien snack that caused hallucinogenic effects portrayed in season 6 of Agents of SHIELD.


	15. Interlude

_Onboard Zephyr Two, en route to Vormir._

She woke up feeling tired. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Her throat was a bit scratchy like she had been shouting for some time or after a few loud orgasms – that happened before, like many times! Thank goodness they had soundproof walls. Did they make love last night? No, she didn’t think so because it didn’t feel like it and her head was spinning. It was just like having a hangover. Did she drank that much? She couldn’t remember.

Groaning, she buried her face in her pillow. Hmm…it smelled so nice. She inhaled the scent deeply. That seemed to help with her headache. Its slight up and down movement was very soothing.

‘Wait, pillows don’t move.’ That startled her awake and she lifted her head abruptly, which caused her to groan as it made her headache worse.

“Morning.”

“Daisy?”

“Who else would it be?” Daisy asked amused.

Daisy kissed her forehead before pushing Wanda off of her gently and sat up. She lifted her and put her up against the headboard. Reaching out to the side table, she took a glass of water and handed it to Wanda.

“Thank you.” She gulped the water and felt her mouth was not so cottony anymore, but she still needed more.

“You’re welcome.” Daisy said and took the glass from her hand, refilled it and handed it back to Wanda. She sipped slowly, not feeling as thirsty as she did when she first woke up. Once she finished her second glass, Daisy poured another glass and handed it to her along with two aspirins. Thankful, she smiled and took the pills and finished her drink.

“Better?” Daisy asked as she took the glass from Wanda and put it on the side table.

“Much better.” She sighed as Daisy pulled her into her arms and massaged her head. Her other hand was rubbing circles on Wanda’s back. Wanda was still a bit out of it, but she felt content. This was the first time they woke up together in bed after they started this trip. She burrowed herself further into Daisy. Daisy’s scent and the soothing motion soon lulled her back to sleep.

Seeing that her girlfriend was asleep, Daisy kissed her hair and discreetly got out of bed to get ready for the day. After her morning ablution, she went to the kitchen for her pre-workout meal. She saw that Ramona and Maria were already there. A glass of juice was already on the table for her. She took a banana and demolished it under a minute. Then, Ramona put a plate of toasts already spread with butter and coconut jam on the table and they all dug in.

Later, they did tai chi. Then, cardio and strength training. This was followed by sparring and group training. They also trained using weapons and powers. This time around Maria was the trainee and Daisy and Ramona were determined that she had to learn certain fighting styles because there was always something different about space combat.

“Okay, let’s do space combat training.” Daisy suggested. “You two up for two segments today?” Both women nodded and got up to get ready. They went into the training room which was next to the gym they were in a moment ago. While putting on their combat gears, Daisy gave in her order to the Zephyr Two’s A.I.

“F.I.L.I.A.?”

“Yes Boss?”

“Engage space combat training module. Start with segment 3. Begin at minimum and gradually increase the level of difficulty.”

“How long do you want it to be set up?”

“We’ll do two segments today. Let’s try 20 minutes for each segment – two levels, with 10 minutes interval.”

“Very well, boss. Space combat training module activated.”

There was a beep and then a transparent protective barrier engulfed the training room. 

“Protective barrier had been set up. Initiating Segment 3. One minute countdown.”

When the timer reached the last 10 seconds, all three women were ready at stance and with their weapons drawn. Then, the training began.

~~~~####~~~~

_An hour later…_

Soon, their training was over and all of them were panting and feeling so drained. Knowing that they only engaged at level 2 on the difficulty meter did not make the training easier. The fact that the whole segment was designed with different geographical and atmospheric conditions made them on par with the previous segments. Maria shivered at the thought of going through them at the highest difficulty level. She also admired those who already completed those segments.

Meanwhile, Wanda and Trip woke up not long before the three agents finished their training. When they entered the lounge, they heard a weird song sung by a horrible singer with an over the top guitar accompaniment that did not match the song – not even one note. Seeing that there was nobody there, they went to the gym. Once they were in, they heard another weird song. Thinking that Daisy probably messed with the system just to have fun, they ignored it, but there was something niggling at the back of their minds.

Realizing that the three ladies were not at the gym, they moved to the training room. Checking the control console, they could see that the girls were doing space combat training. So, to make up for not joining in as well as making sure the two of them came back on board the Zephyr safely (not that they really remembered how), they decided to prepare breakfast.

When they entered the kitchen, there was another horrible sound effect reverberating on the walls. The voices seemed very familiar.

“What the heck is that? Urghh…It’s too early for pranks.” Trip groaned. His head was killing him. He only recalled drinking a bottle of beer. There was no way he’d be hungover. Hell, he could drink a dozen bottles and still walked straight. He thanked whoever left the aspirins on his bedside table, but he still felt a little bit out of it.

“Why do we have all these songs? They’re horrible. How the heck did they become singers?” Wanda fared better than Trip, but the songs were making her head ached. ‘ _Uh, babe, why are you doing this?_ ’ She immediately presumed that Daisy was behind this. Once the song was over, they felt a lot better and started pulling out the ingredients for waffles and pancakes. Those three must be starving after a very intense training session.

When Daisy, Ramona and Maria came out of the training room to the smell of waffles and pancakes, their stomachs immediately rumbled and thanking the duo, they all dug in. While eating, they talked about what happened the day before to the chagrin of both Wanda and Trip.

“Oh my God. I did what!?” She did not believe she acted the way she did at the bar. They must be playing her.

“No way!” Trip also denied that he ever made a fool of himself at the bar, but the evidence said otherwise.

“What do you mean I went crazy with my power?”

“In a volcano?”

“We freed prisoners? That’s cool. Wait, are they criminals or locked up unfairly?”

“They have our faces? Tell me you destroyed all evidence.” Reassured that Daisy did, calmed them down.

“Are you telling me that that was the second time you broke into that compound?”

“How would we know that what you guys said was real and not because you’re just pulling our legs?”

“Yeah, knowing you guys, this must be a prank.”

“Did you hear the songs played when you entered certain rooms?”

“Yeah?”

“How did they sound to you?”

They did not need any time to answer that question. “They’re terrible.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know how they could become singers?”

“Hold on, are they real singers or amateurs who posted those on social media?”

“Oh, I have you know that they did a performance in space very recently.”

When the three women smirked and then grinned, they got a bad feeling.

“Why are you all smirking?”

“You heard the audio. Let us show you two the video.”

Both Trip and Wanda spent the next few minutes in mortification. They couldn’t believe the evidence of their ears, adamantly saying that those voices did not belong to them. They even denied the evidence of their eyes even though it was clearly shown in the video; and stubbornly saying that the persons in the video were definitely not them despite the exact copy they saw every day in the mirror. Denial all the way was to be their MO.

And the whole plane suffered the terrible renditions of evergreen songs with cringe-y guitar strums that could rupture one’s eardrums – that was how horrible they were – till they reached Vormir not long after because the three ladies refused to take it down.

They even brought it up a notch by showing those videos on screen whenever Trip and Wanda entered every room, including the ones where Daisy did make her promise came through – dunking them in cold water (more like hosing them with cold water) right after they returned from the volcanic prison. Savage, yeah. That was how rankled they were with the retrieval mission. It was to pay the two of them back for what they had to go through to save their hides as well as to teach them to be more careful when consuming alien food.

~~~~####~~~~

_Planet Vormir_

It was not a bad place. Not at all. In fact, it was quite pretty. And she even had company. Though the person was someone no one desired to spend time with. Imagined looking at someone with a skull as a face. And he was red! Not to mention the way he spoke was irritating. Always in riddles and his sort of pacifying intonation. She didn’t have time to solve puzzle. She needed to contact home.

If she could choose who to spent time with on an alien planet, she’d pick Maria in a heartbeat. Then, maybe Daisy, Sharon, Trip and Kevin could tag along. Plus their significant others. Heck, they could have the whole clan on the planet and start a new civilization. The earth was getting overpopulated anyway and Vormir had a lot of similarities with earth too, just a tad heavier in gravity. Now, when she thought about it and she looked around, this did not look like the Vormir she was on that fated day she died. Or maybe the season had changed.

She explored the area nearby to the place she first woke up. There was a nook on the side of the rocky hill next to a clear river, not far from a small waterfall. She made the location her safe abode in the hill. Just saying or even thinking of the word made her mind wandered to Maria. Hill – the home where her heart and her whole being belonged to. Natasha missed her. It had been five years and her love for the commander never faded. It became stronger and deeper every day despite the years she spent without her wife.

Wife – whoever thought her life could turn out this way. Natasha never thought to find love or to have someone loved her so fiercely, let alone gotten married. And the orphan that she was ended up having a large loving family who accepted her for everything that she was with open arms regardless of her past or her tendency to dabble in grey area. It didn’t hurt that they were experts in it too. A strong clan with colorful personalities that went beyond blood ties, even Nick Fury and the Red Room never had a clue about.

After she joined S.H.I.E.L.D., they worked on a few missions together. She admired the agent's doggedness and skills, be it in combat or in planning and tactics, but never voiced it out to the woman. Besides, they didn't start out that great what with her needling the woman to lose her shit every chance she got. Not to mention all the pranks she and Clint pulled on Maria and other agents, which surprisingly never managed to get a rise out of the taller woman. She would just raise an eyebrow or smirk at them as though she knew it was them behind all those pranks. So, of course she was not going to start praising the Ice Queen no matter how impressed she was of her. And Maria would undoubtedly perceive it as another of her attempt to mess with her.

She always thought that Hill was a straight-laced no nonsense agent that always went by the book. The first time she saw her bent the rules was something Natasha had never expected. It was a novelty to see her showed any feelings aside from stoic professionalism especially while on missions. But that particular assignment annoyed her to no end that she actually trounced the chauvinistic bozos who thought that they were theirs to do as pleased. Natasha didn’t have to do anything but cuffing them as she admired Hill's form in stomping the victims of her annoyance. 

Hill even ranted to Coulson and Fury about how this was not something even agents like them should go through. She even threatened them with bodily harm in such a cold, menacing tone as they stopped her from strangling their perpetrator. That was even before they started the interrogation. Needless to say, their prisoner cowed right there and then, thus leading S.H.I.E.L.D. to dismantle their criminal operations in record time. This was the event that changed her initial view on Agent Hill.

The first time Natasha witnessed Maria in action so ruthlessly; and the pandemonium and bloodbath she caused so casually and seemingly without remorse, Natasha was hooked. The redhead found her and the scene so fascinatingly beautiful even though she could see that the taller woman was lost in silent cold fury. It was a different side of Maria she never thought was possible. A side where she didn't seem to realize what she was doing until it was done; and Maria was assaulted with guilt and self-hatred the next day after she reclaimed her equilibrium and put on the cold no-nonsense facade as if everything that happened was no big deal. That mission must have hit too close to home for her.

This happened once or twice. And nobody talked about it. It was one of the things about Maria that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents never gossiped about for Fury kept this transgression off record.

If she was normal, she should be afraid and not feeling mesmerized. Her sardonic self would also say that she fell in love with the taller woman precisely that moment. Of course it was not love in the sense of real love per se because that would be silly. She didn't do love. However, it was a biological reaction that made her feel the rush of excitement at something so beautifully disastrous and absolutely brutal at the hands of an out-of-control Agent Hill.

It didn't hurt that she was easy on the eyes too. Natasha found her eyes derailed toward the commander more times than she was willing to admit. She guessed that a penchant for such careless destruction was who she truly was deep down inside or maybe that was what she had been ingrained with by the Red Room. But that did not nullify the fact that she was enraptured by how ruthless the former marine could be despite the tight control she had on her disposition and actions. And that was her downfall.

For years, she believed that love was for children and that was why she was so confused when she started to feel something for Maria. It was a new feeling; she never felt it before, and be it when she was with Maria or when she was not, it enveloped her. She was overwhelmed. Maria occupied her mind even when she was on missions.

At first, she was annoyed because she needed to concentrate and her missions were always very dangerous. So, she felt awkward and Maria sensed that something was amiss and confronted her after a few weeks. She thought that she offended Natasha or something. Reassuring her that nothing was wrong took a few tries and she got herself together before Maria became more suspicious.

When Maria was on missions, Natasha would worry and kept thinking about her safety. Knowing that Agent Hill could take care of herself just fine made Natasha even more irritated with herself and confused because why would she feel that way. So, she chalked it up to being friends with someone. She never had any before. They did not encourage any sort of bonding among the girls in the Red Room. Spending time with Maria was something she always looked forward to.

They became closer and Natasha even met some of her family and friends; most notably Daisy and Peggy Carter among others. Recalling the first time she met Daisy would always make her smiled or laughed. There she was with Maria in front of the latter’s apartment building, set for their next mission when there was a blur of dark hair flying towards Maria while squealing her name and Natasha acted on instinct. She put up her hands, grabbed the girl and flipped her in two seconds flat.

When Maria exclaimed softly with concern and helped the girl up, Natasha realized that she just attacked someone Maria knew. She was kind of embarrassed and reluctantly apologized. But Daisy was cool with it. In fact, she gushed out on how awesome that move was and asked if Natasha could teach her. She also thanked her for looking out for Maria, whom she later learned was her sister. They struck up friendship there and then; and looked how close they all had become now – a close-knit family.

She remembered that it was a little over a year since she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. that she found herself attracted to Maria on a whole different level. They were on an undercover mission in Japan. It was the first time they were working so close together for 3 whole months.

Just a simple brush up against the taller woman felt like she was being electrocuted. Oddly, she liked it and as time went by, she wanted to touch Maria more and more like she couldn’t help herself. She was not a tactile person and whatever she had done before was for her job. Plus, she hated it, but with Maria, she craved it.

It was after that mission that they became a lot closer and Natasha spent more and more time with Maria. They even had sleepovers whenever they could. Accidental caresses became fully intentional ones, they texted each other and talked on the phone regularly even while on missions. Natasha then realized that she was also attracted to Maria sexually and experienced contentment whenever they hung out together, which led to another crisis – a very personal one. She had never felt attracted to a woman before, but this time, it was overwhelming.

Any free hours they had were spent catching up and to get something to eat, whether outside or at home or on the helicarrier, they’d try to find the time. Sometimes, Daisy or Sharon or someone else in Maria’s inner circle would join them. Natasha didn’t mind that because she was always introduced as Natasha, not the Black Widow; and she became friends with them too. They never judged her past. She found that refreshing. Only after they were together that Maria confided that it was her intention to have Natasha met her close friends and family.

Months later, Natasha was getting frustrated. She knew she liked Maria Hill but she did not know how to deal with it. Besides, she did not know whether Hill was into women or not. She was never seen or known to go on dates and nobody ever mentioned Hill’s sexuality. And Natasha never asked lest they made rumours about them ran rampant.

She swore that she saw instances where Maria seemed to like her the same way back. The way she caught how Maria looked at her when she thought the Russian didn’t see her. How her breath hitched when they touched and something like adoration that shone in her eyes when Natasha did something nice or fun.

Sometimes, they stood or sat very near to each other when there was no need to do so. How they fell in sync so easily and able to communicate silently with just a look. They became so in tuned with each other that it seemed like a normal thing to do to lean on shoulders or put their head on the other’s lap and playing with their hair as if that was something common to do between friends. Being who they were, those sorts of things were something intimate but the notion did not cross their minds until they started to feel funny toward one another.

It was a few months after they went undercover that Natasha followed her instinct and initiated something more intimate than just putting her head on Maria’s shoulder. She burrowed herself deeper into Maria’s neck and was rewarded when Maria wrapped her arm tighter to pull her closer to her side. Her scent was intoxicating and Natasha began to kiss and nuzzle her collarbone. When Maria gazed questioningly at her, Natasha felt lost in her eyes. She did not recall how she answered her but she remembered how she felt when Maria kissed her. Oh how she melted into her kiss. It was nothing like she ever experienced before. The sensation of flying and falling at the same time was exhilarating.

One thing led to another and they became more than just friends. As time passed by, she can see that her feelings towards Maria had evolved into something alarming that disconcerted her. She did not like to see other people flirted with the taller woman or the other way around. Though Maria only did that if she was on the job – and my god, she was so good at it Natasha had a hard time believing that that was Hard-Ass Hill nor was she successful in controlling the ugly emotions that reared as she witnessed Maria flirted with some bozos.

Moreover, she just wanted to be with her and being away from the commander on stretches of missions made her grumpy. Only when she saw Maria Hill, promptly, it made her felt better. She should have known by then that she was doomed.

She read about it but she did not believe herself capable of having such emotion. When they had an argument about something so insignificant related to her recent mission, Maria blurted that she worried more because she was in love with her. Maria Hill was in love with her. She froze before panic set in and she had no idea what to do. So, she ran. She was sure she broke Maria’s heart that day. Heck, she broke her own heart too and she never thought she had one.

Coming back to her mostly unoccupied apartment, she sat down and stared at nothing for how long, she couldn’t remember. When she snapped out of her stupor, she booted on her laptop and searched the internet about love. All the information she read led her to more confusion. So she called Clint – there was no help there, but she suspected that Clint knew.

Then, she did something she never thought she’d do: chatting on chat rooms. No one would believe it if they knew that the notorious Black Widow joined chat rooms to discuss about love. It was a preposterous notion!

By the end of the day, she felt confident that she did love Maria the same way Maria loved her. She did not think that she could function normally if she lost the commander. When she returned home, Maria accepted her with open arms and listened to her with such love and understanding that she fell more in love with her.

Feeling secured in their relationship, she proposed, though that didn’t go the way she planned it. She’d blame it on Daisy. That girl gave too many examples of ‘the perfect proposal’ – her words. Nevertheless, the look on Maria’s face on their wedding day was worth every mishap and fumble she went through to get to that memorable moment.

The years they were together were the happiest in Natasha’s life and she experienced such contentment even with the challenges brought by their jobs and childhood nightmares. The half-decade she was widowed was the most painful she ever lived, even worse than her childhood in the Red Room because then she did not know love, unlike after she joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and met Maria.

The squawk of birds brought her back to the present. When she first opened her eyes over a week ago, she was disoriented. She knew she died, so that Clint could take the soul stone home. Hell, she remembered dying – it was painful, if only for a while before blackness claimed her. But, she couldn’t comprehend her coming back to life. Listening to Red Skull’s annotation of what happened after her demise and her magical resurrection did not confirm the success of their entire mission, but it did make her feel relieved that she came back unharmed. 

So, colored her very surprised to see the previously dead Dr. Strange appeared out of thin air a few feet away from her. It was only a minute before the portal collapsed. However, she could hear him yelling that he couldn’t maintain the portal and that help was on the way. That gave her hope.

If the Sorcerer Supreme was alive, that meant Maria and the others were alive too. Did that mean they managed to collect all stones? It had to be. She couldn’t imagine the consequences if they failed. Gosh, thinking of her wife being alive again made her giddy and slightly impatient to be rescued. However, in the meantime, she just had to survive until the rescue squad arrived.


	16. Finding Red(s)

“Something just entered the atmosphere.” She was startled when the Red Skull announced that. For the past week, she talked and gathered a lot of intel regarding him and whatever secrets buried since the forties. Whether they were true or false were yet to be determined.

“What is it? A spaceship or something else?” She had high hope that it was coming for her. She might just get to go home soon.

“I couldn’t see anything but it did breach the thermosphere.” he seemed puzzled by it. “Like it’s cloaked or something.”

‘That could be the Zephyr,’ she thought happily. And she thought right when the vessel slowly appeared and descended steadily towards the bare patch of land a few yards away from her location.

Down came the ramp and Daisy and Wanda jumped off of the plane, running towards her. She was engulfed in hugs and well wishes and ‘I missed yous’. Then, Trip and Ramona crowded her too, happy that she was well and safe. She was overwhelmed with relief and joy that the rescue squad was there on Vormir and was about to tell them just that when she heard the voice she had been missing for the past half decade.

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?”

The others moved away from her and she looked towards the Zephyr. Everything else around her faded as her eyes zoomed on the one her heart belonged to. There at the bottom of the ramp stood Maria Hill, smiling sweetly and her eyes were gleaming with unshed tears of happiness. Natasha was speechless and her mind only had one thing that kept playing on repeat. ‘ _Maria is here.’_

They both stood frozen. Taking in the presence of each other, they were assaulted by a multitude of feelings. Everything else just fell out of view as they focused only on the one person they loved and missed the most through eyes blurred with tears. Even the nature seemed to grace their reunion by being silent. The birds that chirped seconds ago, the sound of the breeze that caressed their skin and the movement of the trees all suddenly stopped as if they bore witness to the sacred moment they reunited.

“Maria?” She croaked her name, too overwhelmed to say anything else.

“Natasha.” She heard the longing and relief in Maria’s tone.

Then, everything started moving again and she launched herself into her wife’s arms, almost knocking her off of her feet. Burying her face in the crook where her neck met her shoulder, she breathed in Maria’s scent. Oh, how much she missed her. Natasha felt Maria secured her to her front by wrapping one arm around her waist and buried her fingers in the soft curls at the nape of her neck; and kissed the crown of her head, her temple and forehead like she was bestowing upon her a benediction.

She did not even realized she cried, something that happened only a handful times in her life, until Maria put her thumbs on her cheeks and brushed away the tears. Then, she was crying again in earnest. She didn’t even care if the others saw her cried. She was reuniting with her wife whom she lost five years ago. She was happy. Resting their foreheads together, they gazed deep into each other’s eyes, communicating their love and joy of being together again after so long. There was no word needed; not yet anyway.

“Maria.” She chanted her name again and again. It seemed like she was reduced to only be able to say that one word. The word she breathed like a prayer, still unable to believe this reunion was real. Afraid that everything was just a dream or a hallucination after she was stranded on this planet; and the person in her arms was just a pigment of her imagination.

“Natasha, I missed you so much.” Maria sobbed, her tears were still coming down but not as much as when they first saw each other again.

“I missed you too. So much. Please tell me this is real and not a dream.”

Reaching out, she cupped Natasha's face, rubbing her thumbs lightly over the apple of her cheeks and noting the way her eyes flickered shut before leaning in and capturing her lips softly with her own, fully conveying her love and longing towards her wife. “This is real, sweetheart. We’ve come to bring you home. And I don’t want to be separated from you ever again.” She punctuated that with kisses every few words.

That made her wept even harder. Maria led her to the ledge in the cargo hold; hands never leaving each other. As Maria sat down and brought Natasha to sit on her lap, she told Natasha that she never wanted to not see her for such a long time ever again. That they were going home and lived happily without a care for the universe. That caused the redhead to chuckle wetly. Yeah, as if they would just sit back when there was a threat.

Nevertheless, Natasha couldn’t help but to tell Maria how difficult it was to accept the news five years ago that she felt numbed and how she had meltdown upon meltdown because it was such an agony to be without her wife. To share with her that even after five years she still sometimes found it hard to get up in the morning and remembered that Maria was gone.

She also told her that the only thing keeping her alive was because she knew that Maria would not want her to succumb to the bad hands life had handed to her and that she was lucky that their family was so supportive and understanding. She kept on bawling her eyes out through her litany, hands wrapped tightly around the woman who owned her heart and soul and everything that made her Natasha Romanoff.

They sat like that for a while, just taking in the sensation of having their other half in their arms again. For a few minutes, they talked about their feelings and how their lives were, being apart from each other.

She felt Maria brushed her lips on her temple. Tilting her chin up, she brushed the tears off Natasha’s cheeks and then kissed her lips. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. I felt awful when I came back to find out that you’re–” she chocked a little and only continued when Natasha laced their hands together. “–and it was only a week. But for you to live through that for five years, you are strong Natasha. I don’t think I could do that.”

Natasha kissed her fiercely, reassuring herself that Maria was really there. “You’re here. You found a way. I didn’t. Don’t sell yourself short, Maria.”

“No, Nat. You held on and took action immediately when you guys found out about the quantum tunnel. I couldn’t even think in the aftermath. If Daisy and the others were not there…” she sighed regretfully. “She told me what you went through and how upset she was for not being there sooner.”

“But I already knew about what’s to come from the future you. That gave me the motivation to keep going. We just waited until it came up, and yeah, she pulled me out of depression and gave me hope that things would get better.” She didn’t tell Maria that she also knew of her impending doom. “I guess she even had a contingency plan to deflect my demise, huh?”

Maria chuckled. “That she did. She and Ramona had been cracking their heads up to find alternative options till we came to start this trip.”

“Those two were thick as thieves. I remember that they even got the others involved in whatever shenanigans the Z2 had in space.”

“Oh, some little birdies told me that it was worse when you were on board.” Maria said teasingly.

“Whatever do you mean? I was a saint as compared to them.” She fluttered her eyelashes while trying to maintain an innocent expression on her face.

“That innocent look doesn’t become you.” Smiling, she flicked Natasha’s nose. “But, seriously, how are you, really? You’ve been stranded here for over a week.”

“For someone who died, I’ve been better. And since you’re here, I’d say, today is the best day ever, on Vormir that is.”

Tightening her arms around the redhead, she buried her face in Natasha’s hair. Taking in the soothing scent of her shampoo, Maria thanked whatever power in the universe that made this moment possible. 'Wait, shampoo?'

“How come you still smell like you just shampooed your hair? And you don’t smell like you spent days in wilderness? This is the body wash we use at home.” Maria queried, sniffing at Natasha’s neck and shoulder.

Looking up at Maria, she smiled sheepishly. “Um… I have a go bag with me.” At Maria’s incredulous look, she added. “Ramona said we should be prepared for any results. So, Daisy said to have a go bag and stashed it somewhere on the planet before we do whatever we did here. They even put something like a freezing rock, which I don’t know what on earth it is that keeps everything in the bag fresh and still in good condition for almost ten years. Oh, and the rock is still there. Probably something they came across in space or it could be Ramona’s magic. Who knows? I just never thought they meant the whole camping she-bang apparatus included in those rucksacks. And they seemed so much bigger on the inside for the girls to put a lot of things in there.”

“They packed you for a camping trip?” Maria raised her eyebrows. “That seemed a bit over the top.”

“You think? This is the blameable duo. It’s either they’re underprepared or they are being overprepared. No matter the results, people would point their fingers at them, though not directly in front of their faces. They’re as scary as you and me to most agents. Those two are such badass ladies.” Natasha chuckled ironically.

“Good to know that the agents respect them and yeah, those two can kick their asses. Why the blameable duo though?” Natasha continued chuckling. “Something tells me that they compensated for a flop by being overprepared after believing themselves underprepared.”

"Yup, and no matter the results or whatever mishaps, they took the blame whether undeservingly or not in their stride. Well, it did give them more excuses to do something that is over the top or to do some experimenting in order to fix things or something like that."

She raised an eyebrow, eyes focused critically on the redhead. “And the others are not brave enough to blame you along. Am I right?” Natasha just snickered and Maria rolled her eyes. “They knew this might happen.” She concluded.

“I guess so. Plus, when those two suggest you do something – even the most bizarre things, there is always a reason behind it. All in all, it’s better to heed their recommendations and if things go wrong because of it, we can always put the blame on them. Or when we’re in space we could just mention Quake, and they’ll all scatter around looking for the Space Menace or to get away. Huh, even Daisy approved of that, but only in space.” Maria shook her head when Natasha just grinned mischievously. That look on her face was better than the crying fest moments ago, though she did look like a clown with that red nose and her face a little blotchy.

“And then, they’ll come up with more weird ideas, especially Daisy.” Maria said wryly. She did not really know Ramona, but she remembered their meetings when she was younger. The last time Maria met her was right before the Snap. And they met every few years before that or not long prior to big events in her life. They did have some sort of camaraderie forged from those meets that they exchanged contact information, especially after the gypsy confessed that she knew most people in her life. In actuality, it was done to keep track on the gypsy. The secrets of the clan must not be let out to those not in the circle and to have a near stranger told her that she knew them was sort of alarming.

They also discussed her verse and Maria was initially puzzled when she emphasized the line with a reference that she turned to dust a few times (although she never thought it meant that literally); and suggested the clan to have a reunion because they won’t be able to have one for a long time. They didn’t organize a meet together with everyone, there was no time for that, but the six of them – Sharon, Kevin, Natasha, Daisy, Trip and Maria – did spend a weekend together before Daisy and Trip embarked on their journey in space.

“Speaking of the blameable duo, we better join them. Who knows what mischief they’re up to especially with the moronic while intoxicated duo is there too?”

“Moronic what?”

“You’ll find out.”

They untangled themselves after another gentle kiss and walked off the Zephyr. When they saw their friends were crowding the Red Skull, they exchanged an amused glance and shook their heads sardonically at how fast those four were proving their presumption.

~~~~####~~~~

While Natasha and Maria were having a tearful reunion, Daisy, Wanda, Trip and Ramona went to walk at the nearby area. At Daisy’s insistence and Simmons’ enthusiastic requests back home, they were cataloguing and taking samples of anything they found interesting and worth experimenting on the planet for research and educational purposes. After a while, they returned to the location where they landed and encountered the Red Skull; and struck up a conversation with him after a few shrieks and freaking out moments at first sights.

“Hi there.” The man greeted him cheerfully.

“Hi.” Red Skull answered awkwardly. No one greeted him like that.

“Why are you red? Is this how the people on Vormir normally look like?” The girl asked him.

“Guys…” the lady with blue and black hair started before she was interrupted by the brunette with purple highlights.

“Why are you wearing a mask?”

“Urmm...no, I’m not wearing any. This is how I usually look.”

“Oh, you speak English. The people on this planet actually understand English. This is a discovery. Daisy, note that down.” The said girl took out a device and fiddled with it before she pointed it at his direction. There was a click sound after that. ‘Whatever did she do?’

“So, this IS a typical look of this planet’s inhabitants.”

“What happened to you? Did someone cut off your nose?”

“Guys, let’s not crowd him, okay?”

“So, what do you do for fun here?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t do anything fun? Okay. What would you recommend us to do here?”

The Red Skull could only blink at them. They were not scared of him. Didn’t they know who he was? The intensity of their eyes made him want to squirm and he never squirmed. Who were these people?

“Why would you think about having fun here? We’re supposed to bring Natasha home. So, we’re here. We found her. A few samples of the planet are bagged and catalogued. Let’s just go already.” The blue-haired lady said. She sounded exasperated.

“Yeah, but there is nothing wrong to have some fun while doing so. Besides, let’s give those lovebirds some privacy before we head out to space.”

“Okay, fine. So, what do we do then?”

“Well, we shouldn’t go far. You don’t want to get lost.”

“Erm…so, Mr…oh, where is our manners. I’m Trip. These are Wanda, Daisy and Ramona. That one with Natasha is Maria. What’s your name, sir?”

“I’m called the Red Skull.”

“Oh, you’re named after your looks huh?”

“Daisy!”

“Red Skull. That sounds familiar. Don’t you think?” Trip turned to the others.

“Maybe.”

“It seemed like I’ve heard that name before.”

“It’s probably in the comics you love to read.”

“There’s nothing wrong with reading comics.”

“I never said it’s wrong. It was just a suggestion where the name might come from.”

“I know, babe.” The brunette grinned. “I was just messing with you.” And the woman in red jacket just huffed and then smiled wryly.

He couldn’t believe this. These young people did not recognize him. At least Hawkeye and Black Widow knew of him when they first met a few years ago. For them to think that he was a comic character was preposterous! He was THE Red Skull, the fearsome leader of the science-branch in the Nazi who fought Captain America not too long ago. While the group was discussing what to do while waiting to go home, he felt kind of left out.

“So, Mr. Red Skull, how many people live around here?” Oh, it seemed that they decided to include him in their conversation after all.

“Well, usually, there’s only me.”

“Oh, are we far from the city then?”

“There is no city nearby.”

“No city? A town then.” Red Skull shook his head.

“No town? A village then.”

“Are you harassing the Red Skull? Lay off a bit guys.”

Nobody realized the Black Widow and her mate, what’s her name…Maria, right, approached them. And Red Skull would never admit how relieved he was by that. At least he would not be needed to answer their questions. They were relentless.

~~~~####~~~~

Maria’s mouth lifted up when she saw her team interrogated the weird guy. Why was he wearing a red skull mask? And what was it with the hood? Didn’t he feel stifling inside it? It was pretty hot this time of day.

“Ah, I see that you two are ready to join us.” Ramona said relieved. Why would she feel relieved? Looking at the trio, Maria had a hunch though. No matter where they were, it was always a possibility for them to create mischief. It seemed that since the years she was elsewhere, Daisy’s mischievous side had rubbed off on Wanda. It was no wonder they were together now.

“Yup, and we’re ready to go home.” Maria added.

“Aww…we just arrived. Can’t we stay for a day and just relax?”

“Why? I’ve been here for the past week. Besides enjoying the nature, there’s nothing you guys would term fun here.”

“Exactly. I’d like to enjoy the nature. We don’t really get it like this on earth anymore.”

“Plus, I get to study the planet. At least what we find here.” They all looked at Daisy dubiously.

“What? I’m a scientist. It’s in my DNA to do research.”

“More like doing some explosive experiments or practise your power.” Trip murmured dryly and Daisy found herself being the sole focus of everyone’s knowing looks.

“Knowing you, anything is possible.”

While Daisy was animatedly justifying her non-explosive non-experimenting reasons to the deadpanned looks on the team’s faces, Maria and Natasha shared an amused glance and then agreed to stay one night on the planet.

“Alright. We’ll head out right after sunrise tomorrow. No more delay.”

“Roger that commander.” Trip, Wanda and Daisy saluted her cheekily and scattered around headed to the directions they hadn’t gone too. Maria, Natasha, Ramona and the Red Skull followed behind.

Later that night, they were roasting fish and marshmallows on a makeshift campfire. It had been such a long time since they last had such a relaxing day. Everybody was having fun. Even the red guy seemed relaxed. Maria even made small talk with him and she realized that she didn’t even know his name. So, of course she did the polite thing and asked him; and got the shock of her life with his answer.

“The Red Skull?” She exclaimed. That turned the others’ heads towards their direction. “You’re here on Vormir. Is there a chance that you’re THE Red Skull from Earth?” she said cautiously, and slowly backing away from him.

“I am.”

“How did you get here? No, how are you still alive?”

“Maria, honey, I thought you knew about this.”

“Ermmm…nope. Nobody said anything about this. Barton didn’t even mention who he really was.” (Actually he did. The team was just too occupied thinking about the rescue mission when he mentioned him.) 

“Well, long story short, he lost the war and was sent here. How? He didn’t even know. Probably because he touched the tesseract, which happened to be the Space Stone. But don’t worry, he can’t harm you.”

“Oookay.” Maria was not convinced. She backed away further and sat behind Natasha. She was not that uninclined to have her wife as a shield at the moment.

“Hold on. THE Red Skull? The one who fought Cap?”

“Yup, the one and only.”

“Holy shit. I knew the name was familiar.”

“So, Mr. Red Skull, tell us about your adventures.”

Did Daisy just ask him to tell stories? That girl was something. At first The Red Skull looked uncomfortable. But, he did regale them all with his adventures as if they were something to be proud of. Well, maybe for him, they were. What the poor man didn’t realize was that they siphoned a lot of information from him by subtly asking questions that would make him answer proudly. Answers to the many unanswered puzzles yet uncovered since World War II. To say that Maria was proud of the four of them was an understatement. It was an interrogation at its best.

~~~~####~~~~

The next morning, the six earthlings were ready to leave the planet. After saying goodbye to the Red Skull (yes, they did. It was the polite thing to do!), they turned on the engine and was ready to lift off when suddenly it sputtered and died. Thinking it was a mechanical problem, Daisy and Trip went to check the engine room after no errors were detected by F.I.L.I.A. They even checked the system manually but everything seemed to be in top condition.

When they returned to the bridge after making sure that the engines were working fine, they tried to lift off again. Once more, they were unable to move up. Sensing that something was wrong, they went out to check the Zephyr’s exterior.

Everything seemed to be okay. But they couldn’t even hover off the ground. Trickling out of the Z2, they asked the Red Skull what might cause that. He didn’t know as well, but he had the idea that it could be because of Natasha since she exchanged her soul with the stone, maybe she could not leave the planet. So, they made an experiment. Daisy and Trip was going to try to fly the Zephyr without Natasha on it. It worked. So, they tried to fly again with Natasha on board. It didn’t even move off the ground, not even an inch. They anticipated some sort of complications in their journey to rescue Natasha. However, this was maddening – they accomplished their mission and were about to head home when this happened. Somehow, things just did not go their way. When was anything ever easy for them?

After a few times they tested that theory, they were certain that some sort of power was grounding Natasha to the planet. The same thing that interfered with Strange’s portals. Asking the Red Skull yielded no answer. So, they decided to go to the exact place Natasha died and the cliff she fell from. They searched the area, combing each square foot with absolute precision. However, they couldn’t find any clue to help them solved the puzzle.

Therefore, they had Ramona consult her magical realm. Her first consultation gave them nothing. They tried for the second time. There was only a blurry dark cloud shown on the crystal globe. Anxiety enclosed in, but giving up was not an option. Something just got to give. Hence, their third attempt. It seemed that third time was the charm. The dark cloud turned into something tangible and the image shocked them all.

“What the hell!?” All six of them exclaimed at the same time, feeling incredulous.

“Is that an infinity stone?”

“Not just any stone. It’s the Soul Stone.” The Red Skull uttered. He was completely astonished.

“But, why? What does it mean?”

“Shit. I have a fleeting thought that this is what’s holding you here. Why even Strange couldn’t bring you home.”

“What do you mean Ramona?” She was silent for a long while. Then, she sent a look at Daisy, which baffled everyone when Daisy gasped, a look of horror and disbelief clearly written on her face.

“No. That’s not good. Dammit! And we’re so close to going home.”

“Can someone tell me what the problem is?”

“Let’s make sure first. Ramona, are you seeing the same thing as I do? That thing and those…” Daisy said trying to mask her trepidation.

This was only making the others feeling antsy. The way Daisy and Ramona acted made them even more anxious. When the gypsy’s breath hitched, her eyes widened and face blanched, uneasiness turned into fear. What could possibly cause such reaction?


	17. The Soul of Vormir

The gypsy’s breath hitched, her eyes were wide and face blanched. Their uneasiness turned into fear. What could possibly cause such reaction?

“Do you see any threads? Or a web or something. Argh…you know what I mean.” Daisy whispered.

“You’re right. There is a web around Natasha and a few threads attaching the web to the stone and the ground around it.”

“Darn it!”

“What the hell does that mean?”

Ramona inhaled deeply. Her mind was working in overdrive. Then, she looked at each one of them. “Natasha sacrificed herself in exchange for the Soul Stone, and the stone was somehow bound to this planet.”

“So, I’ve taken over the stone’s place and cannot leave?”

“Unless there’s another sacrifice in exchange for your life, or in this case, your soul.”

“Oh.” All eyes looked at the Red Skull. They kind of had forgotten that he was still there. “I get it now.” When the others still looked at him curiously, he explained his own situation.

“I was banished here almost 80 years ago after I touched the Cosmic Cube.”

“You mean the tesseract?”

“Is that what it’s called?” After a while, he continued. “Then, I had no means of getting out of here. I also couldn’t leave this area. There was some sort of a barrier that prevented me from doing so. The stone talked to me. That was how I became the guide to those who seek the stone. Anyway, I tried to leave many times at first, but I couldn’t. And I did not have this physical body.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I had been living in a limbo. When I walked, there was this mystical quality to me especially my cloak. Romanoff, you saw me before. Do you remember how I was back then?”

“Now that you mentioned it, I think so.” She turned to address the others, “Like the dementors in Harry Potter.”

“What’s a dementor? Who’s Harry Potter?”

“It’s a character in children books.” Red Skull nodded, satisfied with that answer.

“You were punished by the power of the infinity stones to this purgatory state; to be near one of them but could never acquire it.” Ramona came to a conclusion and he tipped his head in agreement.

Looking at Natasha, he added, “When you and that archer came for the stone, and then he left with it, I was freed from the curse. The planet also changed or maybe just this area where the stone was hidden, but for the whole time I was here, it did not prosper like this then. I also got this body back. Now, I can go anywhere on this planet or I can simply leave.”

“So, why don’t you?”

“Where else could I go? Not to mention that I don’t want to. This place is nice, peaceful. Besides, the spaceship I found is not in top shape.”

“Wait, there’s a spaceship here? And you never said anything before?”

“It wouldn’t be safe to use it. It’s very old. I doubt there’s enough fuel for a journey to earth.”

“The stone is no longer here. What do we do to sever the ties of the soul exchange?”

“Ramona, you said that you had thought of this when Strange couldn’t open the portal. So, you knew about this?”

“I wasn’t certain. I had a hunch it could be something like this. This is something even I never experienced.”

Everybody was silently contemplating the situation. Nobody knew what to do, but Ramona had an idea. She never tried it but she read about it somewhere, eons ago. She just hoped that it was not a hoax or a myth written by deranged authors that had no backing evidence. No, she was sure it would work. She read and copied the original set of tomes in the secret section of the massive library in the pantheon on Mount Olympus. And it was written by her ancestors. They wouldn’t make things up, right?

“I need to check on some things first. Anyone reads Greek?”

Natasha, Maria and Daisy raised their hands. When another hand was raised, all eyes turned to Red Skull, but he just shrugged.

“What? The woman who raised me was Greek.”

“Good. I need your help. We need to do some readings and find anything about ending a pact or severing a tie that tethers someone to a place or something. Maybe something similar to exorcism or reversal of an exchange.” She took out a few pairs of gloves and handed them to Maria, Daisy, Natasha and Red Skull who eyed them questioningly.

“Why do we need gloves?”

“To protect the materials. Archaeologists and those working with old materials usually wear them. And those are special ones. They are magically enhanced.”

She took out a book that looked so ancient the trio and the once-cursed man feared it would crumble.

“That looks really old. Are you sure it won’t turn to dust when we touch it?”

“Nah. It’s a copy. I have the original securely preserved except these two. I have yet to finish copying them.” She took out two more books that were very thick and looking even more crumbly than the first one.

“Lovebirds, you two study that one.” She handed the first book to Maria and Natasha. “It’s in Modern Greek, but I wrote it in polytonic. You guys do read the language, right?”

“Polytonic?”

“Yeah. The letters usually have stress, accent and breathing marks. They make it easy to read but hell to type. Nowadays, they don’t teach kids this, I think that makes learning the language harder.”

“O-kay, we’ll try.”

Then, she took out another one out of her bag and handed it to the Red Skull.

“So, I guess I’m to pour through that ancient looking one?” Daisy pointed in apprehension towards one of the books left in Ramona’s hands. When she opened the one the gypsy handed to her, which admittedly looked older and thicker than the other volume, she was blanked; and blinked a few times while wrinkling the bridge of her nose causing a groove to appear between the dark arches of her eyebrows. A plain sign that she was confused and curious.

“What writing is this? They don’t look Greek.” Ramona peered behind her shoulders.

“Umm, oh, that’s Phoenician. I’ll read that one. Here, you take this one.” They exchanged books.

“Phoenician?”

“Yeah. The parent writing system for most modern alphabets. Derived from the Egyptians hieroglyphs.”

“That’s thousands of years old.”

“Yup.”

“And you have these ancient volumes.” That was voiced incredulously.

“How did you come across them?”

“Found them in a library.”

“These don’t look like something they’d lend to just anyone.”

“You’re right. It was hidden in the secret section.”

“Why is there a secret section? This is sounding Harry Potter-ish”

Ramona chuckled. “It does sound like it, isn’t it? They put anything and everything they wanted hidden in there.”

“So, how did you find the secret section?”

“I was starving. It was late. So, I sneaked out of my chamber.” She told them the night she found the hidden recesses behind a panel in the wall of the hallway next to her chamber. Being a priestess in training, it was a huge incentive to stay and read all the antique looking tomes she saw there. So, she did. When it was dawning, she snuck one of them back to her room. Coincidentally, it was the tome written in Phoenician.

Then, for years, she returned to the hidden chamber, which she later learned connected to the library, but it was sealed off for reasons she never knew. Over the years, she read all the books and studied every item stashed there. She even took some that caught her attention and hid them in her pocket dimension.

“Oh, so you took it right under their noses.” She nodded sheepishly and at the same time, proudly.

“You were a priestess.”

“I trained to be, but I found wandering the earth was a much better option than being stuck in one place. So, I sort of became a travelling priestess; and learned a lot – cultures, languages, this and that. Those travels helped to broaden my horizon and world view as well as toughen myself up.”

“You seem to know a lot of ancient history.” They eyed her suspiciously. Daisy especially watched her skeptically as though she just confirmed something in her head. She suspected that the Inhuman might. With that inquisitive mind, she tended to grasp a lot of things quicker and in a broader sense than others. Not even Fitz and Simmons or Banner and Stark could compare sometimes. She did not simply dismiss something that was not scientifically sound too.

“What can I say? I breathed history all my life.” If only they knew how true that was.

“So, the temple you trained at also taught you ancient writings?” Ramona nodded.

“That’s handy.”

“That and everything ancient that they could teach us.”

She was sure she heard Daisy whispered under her breath “…and really weird” before the Inhuman looked at her nonchalantly and continued her query.

“Where did you undergo your priestess training?”

“Europe.” She didn't want to discuss her younger years now. Not yet anyway. She’d better distract Daisy from that topic. “Besides, these old writings can also be used as codes, not many modern men would know.”

“Hmm…good idea. Maybe you could teach me that too.”

“Sure. When we have the time.” Taking a deep breath of relief that Daisy had stopped asking questions, she directed the team’s attention to the tomes.

“Alright, enough chatting. Let’s get to work.

Thankfully, the second book was full of Greek alphabets, though the more Daisy read, the more she realized it was a bit different than modern Greek. When Natasha and Maria saw the one Daisy was assigned to, they were perplexed. So, they were very surprised when Ramona casually stated that it was in ancient Greek, because they did not have any idea that Daisy could read that version.

As it was, not many people knew that inside the bag the gypsy entrusted to Daisy years ago, there were many books stashed inside a pocket dimension along with the journal that recorded all verses of the prophecy, the hula girl doll and a few other things. A space where Ramona could tap into at any time mostly to add and replace more books for Daisy’s insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Ever an inquisitive genius, Daisy studied most of the books and taught herself a lot of things based on what she read. Furthermore, once Ramona came on board with S.H.I.E.L.D., she began to teach the Inhuman formally about everything Daisy wanted to learn (that she can tutor) especially languages. One of them was ancient Greek. It was very easy for the agent to grasp the difference between modern and ancient Greek as she was already fluent in the language.

And so, they all got to study the old Greek tomes. Meanwhile, Trip and Wanda prepared their meals, cleaned the Zephyr, spent time training and collected samples and captured some pictures. Two days had gone by and they were no closer to finding any clues to solve the problem. The five of them spent the whole time pouring through the books and they became desperate. There were a few instances when they thought they found it, but after further study, they scrapped them. On the third day, it became really frustrating.

“I need a break. Sitting too long is neither good for my back nor my mood.” Natasha yawned and stretched before she stood and moved around the lounge toward the bar. Pouring a shot of vodka, she asked the others if anybody wanted any.

“Sure, but I’d take a Zima. It’s still too early for stronger drinks for me.”

“It’s already past 5 o’clock somewhere.” She looked at Maria. “Babe?”

“Beer.”

“I’d take a beer if you have it. I …haven’t had any since 1945.”

“Ginger ale. Thanks.”

Natasha came back to the lounge and handed them their respective drinks. They talked, ate lunch and relaxed for a while till their drinks ran out. Then, they continued their reading.

A few hours later, Natasha looked around and did not find the other two members of their team.

“Where are Trip and Wanda? Are they still collecting samples out there?”

“No. They’re in the training room.”

“I told them to finish two segments today. All levels, full time.”

“Oh, that’s tiring and it’ll be a long time before they finished.” She paused and then looked expectantly at Maria. “It’s almost dinner.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Natasha kept looking at her wife but Maria just ignored her, eyes still focused on the book. Feeling more eyes on her, she looked up and saw that everybody was looking at her with such innocent expressions, which was totally fake and eyes as big as puppies especially her wife and her sister. All except Red Skull. He just looked curious.

“Being cute and adorable would not move me that easily.” She deadpanned.

Just like a timer, Daisy’s stomach rumbled loudly and was immediately followed by Natasha’s. They all whipped their heads towards both women.

“Maria…” The notorious Black Widow and Quake just whined. For food. If the world saw them this way, they wouldn’t believe it. But still, she may as well get a copy of the recording of the security feed later for blackmail material.

“The fridge and the pantry are full of food. Go get something from there.”

“What if we burned the food? It will make the whole plane stink”

“Yeah, we could accidentally cause fire. You know that happened before.”

These two were among the most innovative, intelligent, strongest and most feared persons in the world and yet they couldn’t cook to save their lives. Maria did not know how they survived all this time. They could prepare simple food cooked over open fire outdoor, but gave them a stove and a kitchen, they were a disastrous duo.

“I’m sure you can make a simple sandwich.”

“We already had that for lunch.”

“You can have it for dinner too.”

“But babe, I have high metabolism, maybe not as much as Daisy-”

“Hey!” Daisy protested, but Natasha continued without a beat.

“-I’ll be hungry soon after. And then, Daisy and I will raid the kitchen many times at night. Do you want to be disturbed every time I leave our bunk?”

“Yeah sis, you don’t want the kitchen to be a disaster area, do you?”

“How did you guys survive before?” They didn’t have to think about it as they answered simultaneously.

“You, Trip and Coulson.”

“You, Sharon and take outs.”

“Yeah, take outs too and sometimes Wanda.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “Is pasta okay with you guys?” Natasha nodded enthusiastically while Daisy squealed.

“Come on. Daisy, you make salad. Nat, a simple dessert.”

Daisy hugged her tightly, “You’re the best sister.”

This was followed by Natasha’s “you’re the best wife,” with a peck on her lips.

When Trip and Wanda crawled to the lounge towards the smell of food, they ate dinner. Afterwards, they told the duo to wash up and rest. Ramona offered to wash the dishes and surprise, surprise – the Red Skull offered to help too, saying that it was the least he could do.

Later that night, as everybody went to bed, Daisy and Ramona remained awake and still looking through the ancient books for a solution. The Red Skull was already snoring on the couch, the book opened upside down on his stomach. It wasn’t long before both women fell asleep too.

~~~~####~~~~

She woke up to a hand shaking her shoulder. She forced her eyes to open, still bleary with sleep and realized that she fell asleep at the lounge. Following the hand on her shoulder, she saw Red Skull looking weirdly excited.

“Come on, girl. Wake up.”

“It’s still too early.”

“I think I found it.”

“Found what?” she was yawning widely, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“The clue.”

That caught her attention and she was immediately awake. The Red Skull showed her the page that held THE CLUE. Hell, the whole page was a clue. It even had references. She applauded the organized way the authors penned the books. She cross referenced that page with the ones mentioned in the tome she was assigned to but hadn’t reached that section yet. It matched.

However, the new clues also mentioned a reference to another chapter that was written early on. And Daisy was certain that it was either in the book her sisters read or the one written in Phoenician because they already skimmed and scanned through the whole of both books assigned to them. Luckily there were not many pages left to be read. She even asked F.I.L.I.A. to copy and digitized those pages.

Feeling excited to have found a headway, she woke Ramona up (who fell asleep at the lounge too). When Ramona saw what they had found so far, she dove straight into the most ancient tome they were studying – the one in the Phoenician writing. Apparently, when she did her translations, she did not do it according to the time it was written.

What they found on the page referenced in the ancient Greek book was exactly what they needed. It may not be the exact same thing but the situation and the process were very similar. They even had everything lined up digitally and cross referenced it with Natasha’s circumstance. They discussed all possibilities and methods to be used as well as the consequences of their actions. When all was discussed out, they fell asleep feeling reassured that they’d make it and would go home soon. Hopefully.

~~~~####~~~~

The next morning, Wanda found the trio slumbering on the couches at the lounge. She took the throw blankets scattered there and covered them, paying special attention to her girlfriend. In her sleepy state, she leaned into Wanda’s touch on her cheeks. She smiled at how carefree and innocent Daisy looked while sleeping. She stirred when Wanda kissed her forehead and stole a peck on her lips, aim accurate even half-awake, before murmuring something to Wanda. She nodded and told the Inhuman to go back to sleep and that she’s making breakfast, she kissed her once more and walked towards the kitchen. Not long after that, Trip joined her and they began cooking.

In one of the bunks on the Zephyr, Maria woke up feeling well rested and content with the warmth of a naked redhead draped over her. Her fingers unconsciously threaded through the curtain of soft curls of Natasha’s hair. She stayed in bed, content to have her wife in her arms. She was lost in thought until she felt Natasha stirred.

Then, when Natasha kissed her throat and nipped her jawline, all morose thoughts left her mind; and she spent all her attention on the gorgeous woman she married over 10 years ago. Pouring all her love and devotion on Natasha, she worshiped her body with all her heart, body and soul; all the while murmuring sweet nothings (well, more like filthy things, they were not that cheesy!) and inwardly praying that they’d never be apart from each other ever again.

When they emerged from their room freshly showered, they found Wanda and Trip were already in the kitchen, preparing breakfast and lunch. The couple assumed that they’d probably be in the training room until lunch or longer. They found out later that apparently, Daisy told Wanda to prepare all of their meals for the day because they would be going on a mission. That news surprised the senior agents and they hoped that it meant they found a way to pluck Natasha away from this planet.

Not long after that, the sleeping trio woke up and showered. During breakfast, Ramona explained to the rest of them what they had found so far and was pretty sure that that was what they should do. Heck, they even used the holotable to make their explanation clearer.

“This was shown on my crystal globe.” They saw Natasha wrapped in layers of web. There were five threads of different colors attached to the web with their other ends embedded in the ground, plus one more to the stone itself.

“The stone might be the soul of this planet. Without it, this planet might not be as we see it today. It gives prosperity to the planet – the nature, the abundance of resources and the like. I guess it also protects Vormir from unwanted harm. So, when someone acquires it, a soul is exchanged. In this case, it is your soul in exchange for the stone.” Ramona gestured to Natasha.

“Therefore, when Barton took the gem, you took its place and Red Skull was freed from his curse, which I supposed was to guard the stone. In other words, you had been appointed as the guardian of the planet without your knowing. And as such, you are bound to Vormir and could not leave it, but I assumed that you can roam the whole planet.”

“She did venture further than I could before the archer had the stone. You all did. So, I guess you might be right.”

“In short, we deduced that whether you like it or not-” she looked at Natasha, “-you might be, no, we are certain that you are the soul of Vormir.”

“The soul…” This is getting too complicated. Before she met Maria, she never thought she had a heart, let alone a soul. And now she became the soul of a fucking planet? What the heck? Looking around, she saw that the others were also deep in thought. She caught her wife’s eyes, saw the trepidation in them. So, she clasped her hand, grounding them together, wordlessly reassured her that they’d overcome this. Silently communicating reassurance to Maria with her eyes, the commander’s stance changed – more determined and ready to do whatever it took – she felt her hand were squeezed softly in return.

“So, what do you suggest we do now?”

“First, we’re going to summon the spirit of the stone.”

“The stone has a spirit?”

“Mostly everything does.”

“I thought Natasha took over its place. Is she the new spirit then?”

“I don’t think so.”

“And the stone was already destroyed. How are we going to call it?”

“We’ll try that anyway. If it doesn’t work, we’ll open the magical realm and search for it.”

“Wow, I never knew you can do that.”

“It’s one of my abilities. If I couldn’t, then, I’ll call upon the pantheon for help.”

“The pantheon?”

“Yup, on Mount Olympus. Though I hope they would not be upset that we disturb their slumbers.”

“The pantheon...on…Mount Olympus? You mean the ancient Greek Gods?”

“Ah, I see that you know your myths.”

“Which temple did you serve again?”

“None. I went travelling, remember?”

“And looking exactly the same as the first time I saw you, say, 30 years ago.” She heard Daisy whispered that suspiciously like a confirmation in her direction after the Inhuman’s expert probing. Umm…she was not going to discuss her youthful appearance. Better get the conversation back to the summoning. Luckily, she was saved from Daisy’s further inquisition by Maria.

“Okay, so, we’ll summon the stone’s spirit or open the portal to the magical realm. Then what?”

“Then we free Natasha from the bind and go home.” It was that easy in theory but Ramona doubted it would translate the same way in the real world. Their world in particular – nothing was that easy.

Agreement was achieved, plans were hatched and preparation was made. All were wearing their combat gears and apparatus with extra weapons stashed somewhere on their persons or in their backpacks, just in case. Foods were also packed and all extra stuff they might need were stored in Ramona’s storage in her personal pocket dimension. Then, the seven of them were ready to start the task of liberating the Black Widow from the bind that imprisoned her on Vormir.

“Okay, are you guys ready?”

“Yes!”

“Alright, let’s do it!”

And so, the seven individuals braced themselves to do something they never did before, dealing with something mystical and magical beyond their knowledge and experience (except, maybe Ramona – she was full of surprises, as the crew learned in this mission).

However, they were agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Avengers and a Captain America reject who would not run from challenges but would strive towards excellence using any means necessary regardless of its legality (most of the time) or even morality (sometimes). Together, they were stronger and they would succeed and beat all odds, no matter what.


	18. The Spirit of the Infinity Stones

With F.I.L.I.A. securing and cloaking the Zephyr as well as making sure to record everything that happened outside, the seven of them gathered near the boulder at the clearing where they had a campfire on their first night on the planet. Forming a circle, they held hands and Ramona started chanting a summoning spell that she wrote that morning with a little help from the tome. They also wrote it and projected it on a mini holotable for easy reading, though they didn’t really need it. They were mostly spies. Memorizing things at first glance was a common practice.

_Oh elements of the world,_  
_I’m asking for guidance and assistance;_  
_I’ve traversed the universe_  
_in search of means and answers,_  
_Asking the power that be_  
_to shine your light for me,_  
_Enlighten me with knowledge so ancient,_  
_To summon a being not from this dimension_  
_that lingers after the six gems_  
_manipulating Space, Time, Power, Mind, Soul and Reality;_  
_I call out to thee_  
_Come out and meet me._  
_I wish to talk to thee_  
_about the gems they called Infinity._  
_Come forth, O spirit of the Stones of Infinity!_

At first, there was nothing different than before the summoning. So, Ramona chanted again along with Daisy and Wanda. The second time only brought forth a gust of wind that stayed in one place before it left. The third time, everyone joined the summoning and that was when something did accept the evocation. First, the gust returned. Then, they were surrounded by a blinding light so bright that forced them to close their eyes.

When they opened their eyes, there was a being unlike any they had ever seen sitting with such an offhand nonchalance on the boulder. A yellow-eyed, purple-skinned entity who seemed to be a female. She was wearing a yellow corset-like leotard over white pants with a white overcoat. A pair of gauntlets and golden armbands adorned her arms. The newcomer completed her ensemble with a pair of yellow boots, two golden earrings with an intricate design and a golden headdress with six colored gems embedded on it.

There was no doubt that she was definitely not human no matter how humanoid she looked. There was this strange vibe coming from her, like a restrained power that made them broke in cold sweat and the hair on their arms and necks rose. They couldn’t help but to stare at her. She was a beauty and oozed danger at the same time.

Seemingly impatient with the group that kept on staring at her, she rolled her eyes and greeted them.

“Hello. Who are you people and why am I being summoned here?”

They were looking at each other and Ramona decided to take charge since she was the one with the most knowledge about this kind of thing.

“Hi. We’re from earth.”

“Terrans on Vormir," she drawled. "You’re a long way from home.”

“Who are you?”

“You may call me Nami. I am the spirit of the gems you called the Infinity Stones. But you know that since you summoned me.”

The team looked at each other again, communicating silently on how to proceed. In the end, they decided to just go straight to the problem at hand. So they told her their predicament and asked her what they could do to free Natasha from the bind.

“I see. So, you want to know how to be freed from a pact with the Soul Stone.”

“Yes.”

“Wasn’t the Soul Stone already destroyed?”

“Yes, so Natasha should no longer be bound to the planet anymore because the thing that caused it no longer exists.”

“But that is not the case. She cannot leave. Is that it?”

“Exactly, which should not happen because it defies the rule of logic.”

“Oh, do explain.” 

“When one party that formed the pact is gone, the pact should be lifted and deemed to have run out its course. Instead, in Natasha’s case, it’s still binding. That tells me that something is not right. Something else wants to keep her here.”

“What would that be?” The entity tilted her head.

“I could say the essence of the stone might still linger or that a part of Natasha’s soul is still trapped in the Soul World; or I could simply say that it is you as you claimed to be the spirit of the stones.”

“You know about the Soul World?” That question was voiced like a statement with a tiny hint of curiosity.

“It’s not really a secret. So, could you tell us the way?”

“Why should I help you?”

“Why shouldn’t you?” Daisy interjected softly but inquisitively.

“Fair enough, but still, give me a reason to aid you.”

“If you insist.” They were all sure that Daisy was baiting her to want to know the reason. And they were also pretty certain that Nami knew what the Inhuman was doing.

“Oh, I do. Come on. Tell me. I want to know.”

“O-kay, right. First, it is the right thing to do.” Nami arched an eyebrow. Okay, that was kind of lame to start justifying a point.

“Second, if you were in Natasha’s shoes, would you like to be trapped for no apparent reason other than the pact unknowingly thrown to your face that resulted in this mess?” Another eyebrow was raised. Daisy thought if her eyebrows went any further up, they’d shoot pass her forehead.

“Especially because of the third reason – Natasha did that to save the world.” The being glanced at Natasha.

“Lastly, since you are the spirit of the Infinity Stones, it might as well be your fault that she had to sacrifice herself because she did that to save the whole universe from the calamity they wrought. In other words, you are guilty by association.” That caused the entity to slightly wrinkle the bridge of her nose.

Well, when you put it that way, Daisy did have the right idea. All this B.S should never happen if the stones didn’t exist.

“That led me to a few questions about them.” It looked like Daisy wasn’t finished yet.

“Oh?” Nami sounded intrigued.

“Do you wanna know what they are?”

“Oh, do tell.”

“Are you sure?”

“Oh yes.”

“But you need to give me your words first.”

“And what would that be?”

“That you would answer all questions honestly.” The team understood what the Inhuman was trying to do – using the spirit’s curiosity in exchange for information.

The being didn't say anything, but they can see one side of her mouth twitched as if holding in a smile.

“Well?”

~~~~####~~~~

This girl was a brave soul. There was so much light and a bit of darkness inside her that was tightly contained and restrained. It seemed that all of them were like that barred the red thing. He was an odd one. To think that a mortal would dare to ask her of this and acted so casually when facing her, she must be very strong to be that confident. Nami wanted to know more about her. Hmmm, she wanted to know everything about all of them. This was an intriguing group of special people with interesting tales. Nami loved tales, she always did. Something she never thought she’d have – interest that was.

“Why should I do that?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Oh, she did. She would love to find out what the girl wanted to know and what she already knew.

“Very well. If I can disclose to you what you wanted to know, within reasons of course, then, I would try my best to be honest about it.”

“Really? Okay…Good…Right. Umm…this world has enough problems. The stones provided those idiots the power to enhance their evil deeds. Now, one of my questions is: what is the origin of these gems? I’d appreciate it if we could get the answer to all the who, when, where, how and why they existed. The other question is: are all the stones bad or only some or not at all? If they were, then why? Will they affect their users? Or is it depending on the ones who wield them? Is the being that created them corrupted or they just don’t know what is good or bad? One more thing, the most important one – the stones are already destroyed. Why is Natasha still stuck here?”

“Which stone is still intact?” She could clearly see the surprise written in their eyes at her question. Of course she knew that one stone remained. She was after all the embodiment of their spirits.

“You’re their spirit, why don’t you tell us? That could possibly confirmed who or what you said you are.” Oh, clever tactic. Maybe this tall one had a strong mind too. She smirked with interest. She couldn’t wait to see how the man and the girl in the red jacket fair within this group. So far, she found the others very interesting.

“I see. Well, I don’t want you people to think I’m an impostor. I am indeed the spirit of the gems. Let’s see. The one that is still intact is the Time Stone.”

Nobody reacted. Oh, they were good. Cautious too. Nami decided to rattle them a bit.

“It is encased inside an ancient relic the Masters of the Mystic Arts called the Eye of Agamotto. Currently under the care of Dr. Stephen Strange of planet Earth who is also called the Sorcerer Supreme.”

One of them gasped very, very softly you could only hear it if you have an extremely keen sense of hearing. The men widened their eyes just a tiny fraction. The one with purple strands had a gleam in her eyes. The redhead and the tall woman only showed blank faces. And the one who led the summoning looked at her calculatingly. Nami’s instinct was right. This was an interesting group. She never met any as fascinatingly entertaining as them since she came into existence.

“So, am I right?”

“You are. Perhaps you could tell us the origin of the Infinity stones.”

“I guess it’s fair that you know what you’re going up against.” Nami inhaled and started her tale. She even projected a 3D-like animation out of her hand throughout the storytelling. It was very modern-like for a being so ancient.

~~~~####~~~~

_Once upon a universe, a long, long time ago, when the universe as you knows it was yet to exist, the only ones to roam the vast unknown was the cosmic beings. There were not many of them. From these beings, stars, galaxies, solar systems, planets and all the beings in the whole world were created. The one who resided above all of them was called The One Above All._

_The cosmic beings were free to do whatever they wanted. And so, they spent billions of years doing just that. Some spawned new stars. Some created planets. Others spawned men of different species. Some others were just drifted wanderers that traversed the universe for what seemed to be like an eternity. Some spawned the demon horde and some others spawned beings you called angels and deities._

_Among all these primordial entities was one who was originally the sole being in all of existence. It was omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Out of loneliness, it took a part of itself and gave it independent life. Once, it spawned the demons. This being did not know what was good and what was evil; thus, it did not will its creations to be good. You could say that everything the ancient being did was some sort of experiments._

_Once spawned, the demons were left to their own device, mainly because when they were created, there were no guidelines for them to follow. Each had their own ways and own greed and they eventually succumbed to the dark side, or to be precise, the dark dimension. When it was displeased with its creation, the entity destroyed them._

_After wandering for so long, this cosmic being felt acute loneliness and believed that there was nothing it could do anymore as it became tired of its own existence. Apparently, immortality in such a lonesome existence was not that great. So, it became suicidal and ultimately put an end to itself by shattering into a few parts that would later be known as the Infinity Gems and scattered them across the universe._

_The stones held immense powers. When united, all existence became malleable. The rules fell away and nothing was impossible. That was how strong this one being was. It could achieve virtually anything just by willing it. Some legends said that the event where they were created was what some of your scientists called the Big Bang, as the cosmic being was said to be older than the universe. It was indeed very ancient._

_The death of this cosmic entity brought the Demon Horde back into existence. One of those demons even tried to attack earth. You may ask the Sorcerer Supreme about it. He helped in fending one by the name of Dormammu a few years ago._

_The gems were neither good nor evil. They were simply remnants of the entity. Each contained the embodiment of the cosmic being’s abilities. Since it did not know good or evil, you could say that the gems were neutral. It was the wielder’s will to use them for noble or malevolent intentions. So, the being never knew that the gems would be used for reprehensible purposes. It did scatter all gems to the far flung parts of the universe after all, never wanted them to be reunited as that could bring it back to existence._

_~~~~####~~~~_

When Nami stopped, she could see that the others were enthralled with her story. Everybody should be. It was what actually happened anyway and these kids were among the luckiest to know the real history of the universe.

“Wow, that was epic. If what you said was true, then we’re lucky that this cosmic being didn’t know good from evil. Imagined if it turned evil?”

“If that’s the case, then we’re doomed.”

“But what about the bind? That doesn’t tell us anything about it. Why is Natasha still unable to leave? What is holding her here?”

“Since the stones were destroyed, it is clearly not the stone.” Trip suggested.

“Oh, it’s the stone alright.” Nami confirmed it.

“What? How is that possible?”

“Yes the stones were all destroyed except one. But the thing that is holding your friend here is what was left behind.”

“Okay, please explain.”

Nami arched an eyebrow and glanced at the woman with the blue hair, guessing that she knew more than she let on.

“When magical things are destroyed or dead, they would usually left behind albeit temporarily, their essence.” Ramona said softly, eyes focused on her. “Is that what clings to Natasha?”

Nami looked at her and pondered deeply. ‘This one is very knowledgeable about magical and celestial things. And she is no normal being even on her own planet.' Then, she studied each one of them. 'All of them show such sharp minds and she could detect immense powers in all of them. I wonder what makes them so different from other earthlings, even from gazillions other beings in this vast universe. I want to see what they could accomplish. It could be interesting.' An idea formed in her head. 'Hmm, maybe I should let them try. If they succeed, then, they are truly amazing beings from Terra no less. And if they don’t, well, they would be stuck here. Then, Natasha would have friends and Vormir would have more guardians. A win-win for me.’

“You are correct. The essence would finally disappear and your friend would be free.”

“Really? How long would that be?” Excitement was palpable among the earthlings.

“A few millennia.” That was answered with gloomy silence. Well, since they were from earth, they won’t be able to wait that long. They were not immortal for goodness sake. They did not have an eternity for that.

“Waiting is not an option. So, what do we do? Would you help us?”

“I don’t see why not and it would be my pleasure, but I need your words first.” Well, turnabout was fair play.

“What would that be?” the tall lady asked warily. Well, she should be. One did not simply give their words that easily. A word or even a simple phrase could be binding.

“You have to go on a quest to save your friend. If you succeed in freeing her from all threads, you would be able to leave freely. In fact, you might be granted a gift depending on which thread you sever – if the essence is satisfied with what you do, of course. On the other hand, if you fail, all of you would stay here. Each of you would be bound to a thread and you would be stuck here on Vormir until the essences disappear. Knowing your terrans’ lifespans, that means forever.”

~~~~####~~~~

‘What the heck? This freak is playing us. Should they do it or should they not? Dammit! I wanna save Natasha, but not at the price of probably sacrificing others.’ Maria was conflicted. She could see that everyone was feeling the same especially Natasha.

Daisy was looking at Wanda, then at Ramona. The three of them were discussing it telepathically with the latter two’s powers. After weighing the pros and cons of the wager, they decided to do it. So, they linked Trip in the telepathic conference. Trip did not need time to think, he agreed immediately. But Ramona wanted to confirm something first.

However, before anyone else could say anything, Red Skull stepped forward to ask the spirit to have only one person bound to the planet – him – and to let the others go, no matter what the result of the quest they’d embark on. In actuality, he wanted to give the others a chance to try again if their first foray was a failure. Besides, he had been there for 80 years already and he was sure that he would not be welcomed on earth.

His offer stunned them all as they never thought that he would trade his life with anybody. Heck, they also never thought that the World War II villain would help them in researching for a way to free Natasha let alone the one who actually found the crucial clue for their mission. He, however, was not successful.

Then Maria offered herself as well – better be stuck on an alien planet with her wife than lived alone apart for eternity. No thank you. Even when Natasha was touched by their offers, she was adamant not to let them sacrificed their freedom for her. Alas, Nami the spirit rejected them all and still being firm with her decision. It was either all or nothing.

So, they asked the spirit to give a hint for what the quest might be so that they can discuss it before coming to a decision. Not that they believed the spirit would give them any. Still, they tried that nonetheless. They got a lot on the line here. 

~~~~####~~~~

Nami liked that they were cautious and with those sharp minds, they may have a chance to make it.

“Very well. One hint." Nami could see the surprise in their countenances. Surely, they thought she would not give them any clue. She scoffed internally. She might be calculating, but she could be pretty generous, if she said so herself. Though she couldn't really recall if she ever bestowed anyone anything before. 

"Remember you mentioned the Soul World earlier?” When they nodded, Nami continued. “Well, the stones and by extension their essences are a circuit.”

There was a mixed reaction to that. The redhead tilted her head just a little. The dark-haired lady raised an eyebrow. The red guy seemed perplexed. The other guy wrinkled the bridge of his nose while the woman in red was frowning confusingly. But what caught Nami’s attention was the blue and brown heads. Those two looked at each other, an expression of disbelief on their faces, which later turned to comprehension and then, determination.

She suspected that those two knew something but what could it be? This was making her even more determined to send them off on the quest for she had good feelings with this group. True, if they succeeded, then, the planet would no longer have its guardian but it would be worth it. Besides, it might be time to return the protection of this place into the hands of its native inhabitants. And when they asked for a few minutes to discuss their plan of action, Nami let them.

~~~~####~~~~

“Okay guys. Remember what I said about Red Skull became the guardian of the Soul Stone?”

When they all nodded, Ramona continued. “He used the Space Stone, thus he was transported here to be the guard of the Soul Stone. This made me realized that all stones were related.”

“That’s old news. We saw how powerful Thanos was when he wielded them all. Like, I assumed the Power Stone strengthen everything you do with other stones.”

“You’re right. That is one example. I believe the stones interacted with each other, like they can sense one another through whatever means for magical gems.”

“You mean like a brotherhood of gems? When one was abused or lost a fight, the others would exact revenge?”

“Exactly. So, when Red Skull messed with the Space gem, it sent him here and the Soul Stone kept him on Vormir as a punishment for misusing its _brother’s_ power.”

“When we tracked Thanos to the other planet shortly after the Snap, the hand with the gauntlet was badly damaged as though he overused them and in return was wounded. He almost died when he used the stones to destroy them.” Natasha supplied. 

“Like the stones punished him for misusing their powers.” Maria added.

Ramona nodded. “Or maybe their powers were just too powerful even for him.”

“Now, look at the image again.” She showed them the image of Natasha that they saw on the crystal. “What can you tell when you look at the color of the threads?” 

“They’re of different colors.” Then, each of them stated the most obvious thing they saw on each thread, starting from Red Skull.

“The one linked to the soul stone is orange.”

“The yellow thread–” Maria gasped “-it’s like the mind stone.”

“The green thread…isn’t the time stone green?” Wanda asked and got nods for answer.

This was followed by Ramona with “The blue thread is just like the space stone.”

Trip stated that the red thread looked exactly like the color of the reality stone; and Daisy said that the purple thread was uncannily similar to the power stone.

“And the web is multicolored. It looks like a mixture of the same colors as the stones, with a silvery tint to it.” Natasha concluded their observation.

“Oh my gosh! Does this mean that Natasha is not only bound to the planet or the pact with the Soul stone but to all Infinity stones?” Wanda said in alarm.

They looked at each other in horror. This was even more complicated. No, scratched that – it was the most complicated mission ever!

“I’m afraid it could be.”

“This is so fucked up.”

“Freaking brotherhood of gems!”

“However, since all stones are destroyed except the Time gem, the power is hopefully weakened. Our best hope is that it was not to all stones because they’re gone; it was just their leftover essences clinging to the bind held together by the spirit of the Infinity Stones. Which brings us to Nami.”

“She said _‘the infinity stones are a circuit.’_ What did she mean with that?”

“You both mentioned the Soul World. Explain.”

Glancing at Daisy, she saw the Inhuman nodded and started to explain. “The stones were a circuit, with power flowing from one stone to the next. Not many know this but each stone was also a gateway to a different world or dimension.” That caused the other four to blurt a question each at the same time.

“What!?”

“Are you sure?”

“Like a multiverse?”

“How do you know this?””

“I don’t know the specific of the worlds, just some of their names. There was a chapter in one of the tomes I snuck out from the pantheon dedicated to this topic. Seemingly, one or two of them had ventured into one of those worlds and came back to write their adventures.”

“How do we know that those pages are telling the truths and not myths?”

“Yeah. The books are pretty ancient.”

“Because those books were written by my ancestors thousands of years ago and there were also other stories told orally, which I had the opportunity to write them all down.”

“Do you really believe everything they penned in those volumes?”

She looked at each of her teammates who eyed her seriously, before she answered confidently. “I do. I trust them. I have for a very long time and I never saw any discrepancies to what they scribed with the real things or something similar that happened all through my travels.”

“Okay. I believe you.” The others echoed the same thing to Ramona’s gratification of her trustworthiness in her team’s eyes even with the unbelievable things that were currently happening. The gloomy ambience surrounding the team proved that the situation was too overwhelming even for them who dealt with strange and unknown things on a daily basis.

“Guys, Ramona is ancient. Can’t you see how old she is? She even carries around very old books. The older a person is the wiser they become and so much wisdom would definitely help us in this quest.” Daisy quipped and broke the silence.

“Daisy! That was uncalled for. I don’t see any flabby skin or white hair on her person.”

“She might have used her magic to hide those, you know.” She countered mischievously. Even at times of great perils, the Inhuman could crack jokes. Ramona knew what she was doing – trying to tone down the gloom and doom atmosphere and nervous tension they felt for the whole thing.

“Daisy!” She could also see that Natasha, Maria and Trip got it for they were smiling, but not Wanda. She was just too innocent to fall victim to Daisy’s mischievous side. Ramona guessed that might be why they were so great together. Red Skull on the other hand just looked puzzled.

“I was just kidding.” She chuckled. “I was merely pointed to how much she knows about ancient knowledge and history. Now, imagine if she did not come along on this trip.”

“That would suck.” And everybody agreed.

Ramona then explained to them that they would probably go to the other worlds and cautioned everyone to be careful and be prepared.

When they returned to face the spirit of the stones, they announced their decision and off they went on the quest of a lifetime only a number of people ever did embark on; and most did not come out alive. They knew that but they were persistent people; they would succeed no matter what. Of course, they had no other choice. Whatever came their way, they would adapt, improvise and overcome all complications for they would be going home safe and sound. Magical restrictions be damned.


	19. And The Quest Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story seemed to be writing itself. The quest had gotten so long that I had to break it down into a few shorter chapters. 
> 
> The second half of this chapter is sort of crack-ish and weird, mainly because my reference on it is indeed a crack. Bear with it (^_^;) .

Nami, the spirit of the Infinity Stones told them that they were going to go to all six worlds; the last one would be the Soul World, which was rather cliché. Of course, the one stone that caused all this would be their final destination. She also mentioned that she would be their guide and follow them on their quest including answering any of their questions she saw fit to be answered. She would offer her help when they most needed her but it was a one-time deal. They just had to ask for it. 

“Ready?”

When they all nodded, she touched one of the stones on her headdress and rubbed on it two times while saying a chant that sounded more like a command. It gave them goosebumps and made the hair on their necks and arms rose. What had they gotten themselves into?

There was a gust of wind twirling unnaturally in front of them, taking the leaves up and swirling them in the air. When it stopped, the leaves fell back to the ground and little by little, a door appeared out of thin air. It was modern looking like the one you see at the entrance of most office buildings. Not bothering to wait for the rest of them, Nami opened the door and entered. When she beckoned, they all followed her footsteps and were absolutely flabbergasted with what they saw behind that door.

They knew that they were stepping into a new world, but they never thought that it would be a room full of endless boxes that looked like drawers of sorts. Inside them were books. Not just any books, they were like history books and magazines. Some even looked like reports of something classified by S.H.I.E.L.D. and others were like comic books and things they could not put a name to.

They took a look at some and Daisy gasped. In her hands, she was holding a comic-like book titled Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Inside was what really happened years ago on the BUS. Then, Natasha also showed them a bunch about the Black Widow. Something caught Wanda’s attention and she skimmed through the pages and shrieked. Daisy quickly went to her.

“What on earth is this? This is preposterous!”

“What is it?”

“This one made me and Vision a married couple. With kids! Are you kidding me? Vision is an android. And pink! Androids don’t have that need and they don’t breed. Right? How did they come up with nonsense like this?” Wanda ranted hotly. She looked at Daisy who was blinking trying to process quietly. The Scarlet Witch huffed and narrowed her eyes.

“It’s enough with all those fanfictions that paired me with so many people, some in polyamory relationships for goodness sake. Not that I don’t enjoy reading most of them. Some were very good and I learned a lot from them.”

When they all stared at her with knowing eyebrows raised, she flushed so red that they swore they saw steam came out of her ears.

“Oh, what did you learn from those readings?” Natasha teased her.

“Something kinky perhaps?” Ramona joined in, smirking all the way.

“Was it something like what you did last-” Daisy did not get the chance to finish her sentence when Wanda who was blushing furiously, clamped her palm on her mouth; all the while berating Daisy’s unashamed behavior. For goodness sake, they were surrounded by family and a ghost and a spirit!

Maria took pity on her. So she asked her an obvious question. “Wanda, why are you angry with that book while you enjoyed reading those fictions? It was just a story. Same difference.”

“But those are in writing. I’m fine with just words. THIS has pictures in it. They burn my retinas.” She scowled fiercely at the book with contempt. “I need to bleach my eyes and erase this from memory,” she huffed irritatingly. “Look at this page.” She thrust the book in their direction.

A collective ‘oh’ was heard from the others. Okay, no wonder she was peeved. That page had drawings of her and Vision doing the deed. And rather explicit too! The team cringed at the images and tried their best to erase them from their minds. Poor Vision – bless his soul – was sexified.

“It’s okay Wanda. No android or polyamory. Just you and me.” Daisy smiled and peck the Sokovian on the cheek while snaking her arm around Wanda’s waist. That cooled her down a bit. Daisy always knew how to make her relax – usually.

The others grimaced when the word ‘polyamory’ was mentioned. Yeah, they saw those too. Some of them might be queer while others respect their choices, but they were always exclusive. To share or to have a third person or more was not their cups of tea.

However, regardless of their preferences, they did enjoy reading those writings too especially when the characters were not someone they knew personally. It could be educational. Like Wanda said, some were very good. You never knew what you might learn. That being said, they did learn a lot. Natasha and Maria could attest to that.

Nevertheless, these days, they couldn’t even find the time to read. They had far too many work to do, lives to save and villains to apprehend. Reading for leisure sometimes took a backseat but not totally forgotten. They did bookmark some to be read whenever they have some downtime. Though with their current situation, it didn’t seem like they’d get to do that anytime soon.

“Well, maybe an attractive, specifically programmed android with none of the faces we know of. Imagine how it would be if-”

“Daisy!” Wanda exclaimed feeling mortified.

“Though I wonder what else did you learn from those-”

“Daisy!” That woman just laughed at her expense. So much for a supportive girlfriend. She also loved to make Wanda blew her top with all those teasing. Not to mention the troubles the brunette usually involved in, which naturally dragged others along, herself included.

The other ladies just rolled their eyes at Daisy’s playfulness and couldn’t keep a smile from adorning their faces.

“Well, at least they give you an android husband.” Trip sniffed disdainfully and waved a thin volume. “This one killed me.” Apparently, Trip read a page where he died in the ancient Kree city almost a decade ago.

“What about the one in your hand Maria?”

She frowned. “Avengers: Age of Ultron. They had you and Banner made out at the farm and my character only had a few lines in it.”

“Why Bruce?” Natasha pulled a face and sneered at all the nonsense they saw.

“What is this place anyway?”

“A comic shop perhaps.”

“Not everything here is a comic. Some look like almanacs and textbooks.”

“A bookstore then. A messy one. Why would they put these books in drawers? How would people see what’s at the bottom?”

“Are these some sort of umm…world records or maybe of different worlds? I’m not rejecting the multiverse theory guys.”

“This could be a VR framework, for all we know.”

“Please don’t talk about that sort of framework. I’m still not over that trauma yet.”

“With all these books about us – just look at this row of drawers, all about Black Widow,” Natasha pointed to the said drawers, “this place is probably an archive for fanfictions.”

“Or, with all these books, we might as well be in a library.”

“It ain’t a library, pal.” A new voice joined their conversation.

At once, seven heads turned towards the voice. There was a woman sitting behind a desk surrounded by more drawers that were filled to the brim, some were overflowing. With fiery red hair and metallic grey skin encased in red dress, she was wearing a pair of round spectacles and seemed to be reading before they interrupted her. There were three computer-like machines on the desk that showed some lists – probably just some data on these books.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but where are we?”

“The World Pool.” The team looked at each other discreetly.

“Did you see which stone Nami touched before we came here?” Ramona asked Daisy in a whisper. “The red one.” she replied in an equally hushed tone. “That’s the Reality stone.” They glanced at each other as Daisy quietly confirmed where they were. “So, the World Pool is the world connected to that stone.”

“Who are you?” Trip asked the shiny grey woman.

“I’m the chronicler of the multiverse.”

That surprised them to silence for a few heartbeats. Then, they started asking questions and were astonished to find out that this world was an archive to store the records of all the events that happened in all of multiverses.

“So, multiverse is real.”

“Are all these realities?” They had to ask, because if those volumes were real, they were so going to find the ones about them – the real them.

“Didn’t you just come through that door?” They had no idea what that meant? It could be rhetorical or sarcasm or for her to point out their reality. That was pretty much confusing. Anyway, they better got straight to the reason they were here rather than contemplating what she meant.

“So, how do we sever the ties from the Reality Stone?” Natasha went straight to the point.

The Chronicler smirked. “I’ll tell you when you come out alive.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

There was something dark forming between the desk and the group. All of a sudden, a monster appeared and that thing clutched them all, dragging them to one of the books laid open on top of one of the drawers. Oh, as if that was the only thing it did. No, it just had to drag them into the book. Screams filled the archive until all seven of them were nothing but inks on paper.

The only ones remained in the room were the chronicler and the spirit; and they decided to have tea while waiting for the lucky seven to come out. It could take a while until then.

“Mint, chamomile or green?”

“Green. If you could squeeze a bit of lemon in it, it’ll be perfect.”

“They’re probably going be in there quite some time.”

They better had cookies too. It had been such a long time since the World Pool had visitors.

~~~~####~~~~

There was a loud noise and it was very cold. They found it hard to breathe. When they can see properly again, they were shocked to the core and started flailing and screaming, which made them gasping for more air. Swearing profanities would not solve anything nor would questioning how and why help with their situation. But the team was so surprised that they only managed to look around, then at each other before looking around again and screamed bloody murder.

It took Maria a while to get a bearing to her center after the screaming fest and immediately assessed the situation. She glanced at Natasha and saw that her wife was looking at her too with alarm in her eyes as though she was trying to communicate ‘Now what? How the hell do we survive this?’ The others were still panicking and shouting. It took Maria yelling at them to get their attention.

“Guys! Guys! Hey! Stop shouting! Think of something instead of screaming.” That got their attentions.

They went on many missions but this was the first time they found themselves without backup or appropriate apparatus thousands of feet in the air and the height was decreasing. Yup, they were falling from the sky.

Trip did not like this. He was not Superman dammit! So, of course he panicked and shrieked, “I don’t know about you guys, but I can’t flyyyyy!!!” And they felt as though they were falling even faster after Trip’s hysterical announcement.

This called them to action. Ramona managed to grab Trip and manipulated the air to descend slowly to the ground. Daisy caught Maria’s hand and shouted for Maria to hang on to her and controlled the speed of the fall with her power. Natasha and Red Skull were being held by the red wisps emanating from Wanda who managed to move downward slowly with red wisps under her feet.

Once they safely landed, they looked around, all histrionics gone in an instant, giving way to their senses to be alert for battle. They needed to be on the lookout for the monster that dragged them here but it was nowhere in sight.

They found themselves in the middle of a city and people were fleeing the area screaming. It was chaotic there and they were confused. Why would the people run? It was not because they fell from the sky, right? That question was answered seconds later when they saw a – was that a dragon? – on a rampage and was destroying buildings.

“What the hell is that?”

“Looks like a dragon.”

“Or a giant green lizard.”

“That wears purple underpants.”

“And it seems to be destroying buildings.”

“And eating people.”

“I guess we have to help then.”

They were just about to head towards the dragon/giant lizard (they had no idea what it was exactly) when they saw a group of people with powers was already fighting against it. They crept towards ground zero and watched the group of superheroes fought the beast. When their attacks were fruitless, Trip suggested to the one who landed near their hiding spot (after being slapped by the lizard/dragon’s tail) to destroy the rampaging green creature from the inside. And so they did. A man – they later learned that he was a cyborg – entered the weaponized mythical creature and they managed to defeat it. And thus the city was saved.

~~~~####~~~~

“Thanks for the help.”

“No problem.”

“We are the Nextwave Squad. Who are you?”

“We’re Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“A government agency? We used to be with H.A.T.E.”

“We’re not really under any government.” Maria mumbled.

“What kind of agency called themselves H.A.T.E.?” Natasha whispered to Maria, to which Maria mirthfully replied “a weird one.”

“What is H.A.T.E. anyway?”

“ **H** ighest **A** nti- **T** errorism **E** ffort. What about S.H.I.E.L.D.? What do those alphabets stand for?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for…” Daisy paused and looked at Maria. She could not for the life of her remember what the acronym stood for. “It’s rather long.”

“It’s Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” Maria took pity on her sister. It was not every day Daisy forgot things, but the name really was a mouthful. How did her grandmother come up with it anyway?

“Why aren’t you guys with H.A.T.E. anymore?”

“We discovered that H.A.T.E. and its sponsor, the Beyond Corporation ©, were being funded by a terrorist organization called S.I.L.E.N.T. when Tabitha here-” the dark-skinned woman pointed her thumb toward a blonde woman, “-stole their marketing plan. They are planning to unleash Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction. That dragon was the first one and he called himself Fin Fang Foom.”

“Fin Fang Foom…”

Their jaws slackened a bit, eyes full of mirth and they were trying really hard not to laugh. What kind of name was that for an unusual weapon of mass destruction? An unusual one that was for sure. And he wore purple underwear for goodness sake. THAT was supposed to be a fearsome weapon?

They also found it ironic that the sponsor of the agency that combated terrorism was actually run by terrorists. No wonder this band of misfit heroes defected.

“And those men-” the British girl pointed toward a bunch of dead bodies (which did look kind of empty inside) “-are the Beyond’s Human Resources Department, which apparently were grown genetically from kelp and broccoli.”

“Broccoli men?” That was the first time they ever heard of broccoli men.

“Yep.”

They talked for a few more minutes. After a while, the Nextwave Squad left and the team was discussing their predicament.

“Okay, I know that this might sound crazy but I believe that we’re in a comic.” Trip started.

That got Wanda a bit skeptical. “THIS is in a comic?”

“Yeah. We got dragged into a book remember?”

Daisy was chuckling lightly. “What kind of comic books has a dragon wearing purple underpants?”

“One that is full of sarcastic undertones.” He replied wryly.

“And has an agency called H.A.T.E.” The redhead deadpanned.

“You’re still not over that?” Maria shook her head at Natasha but then she added dryly “And the terrorist cell is called S.I.L.E.N.T. No terrorist is ever silent.”

“Don’t forget that their Human Resources are broccoli men.” Ramona just could not get past that.

Red Skull even pondered that information. “I wonder if they’re edible.”

Trip just rolled his eyes at the team. Better get these people back on track. Apparently, it took Commander Hill to refocus the team’s attention on the situation they were in.

“Okay. So now what? What do we do?”

“I believe we have to save this world in order to get out.”

“Or destroy it is more likely.”

“No Nat. We should follow the storyline. That might be our way out.”

“Fine. So, where do go now?”

Trip was trying to remember the direction the comic he read once upon a time led after the mess that was Fin Fang Foom.

“Hmm…we should head to Sink City.”

"You mean Sin City? Like the movie."

"No. Sink City."

“Where is this city?”

“In Illinois.”

“I’ve never heard of a Sink City in that state.”

“It does in this comic.”

“Alright then. Sink City, here we come.”

“Lead the way Trip.”

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Trip turned around and started moving. The others followed suit. Their gaits were swift and purposefully. They walked till the end of the second block before they heard a series of rumbling sound.

“What is that sound?”

“Earthquake?”

“Nothing shakes though.”

“Probably a heavy-loaded truck.”

“There is no truck nearby.”

“Oww, not another monster. Is it?”

They heard the sound again. This time very clearly and very near. After looking around, they determined that the sound came from the very spot they were standing on. Or more precisely where Daisy stood sheepishly.

“Can we stop for some food? I’m starving.” Apparently, the Inhuman’s stomach was as loud as her owner when it demanded to be refilled.

“You know what? I second that. I’m hungry too.” Natasha agreed wholeheartedly.

The others just rolled their eyes. Of course these two would be the first to mention food. Unfortunately, due to the earlier commotion with Fin Fang Foom, the whole area was kind of deserted. There was no restaurant opened in the immediate area. Fortunately, there was a convenience store across the street.

They continued walking after a successful (mostly junk) food haul from the convenience store they broke in; happily snacking all the way towards their destination in a companionable silence until someone spoke.

“Are we going to walk all the way to Sink City?” Ramona asked.

“I hope not. It’s pretty hot out here. Hot weather does not agree with me. It’s giving me a headache.” Wanda added.

“Yeah Trip. Do you even know the way?” Maria asked. She also found the weather too hot in her combat gear.

“Maybe we should get a car.” Red Skull suggested.

“Where are we going to get a car? This isn’t even our world.”

“There are many of them here. Let’s just take one.”

“Good idea Daisy. That one will fit us. Looks brand new.” Natasha pointed to a shiny minivan big enough for all of them.

“That would be stealing.” Trip said exasperatedly.

“No, it’s not. We’re just going to borrow it.”

“We are not going to hijack any cars. We’re taking the train.” These girls would be the death of him. He sighed.

The girls argued that at least they should drive to the train station, which was about ten blocks and a park away. That was actually reasonable.

“Fine. Let’s go steal some cars.” He relented. He also realized something at the moment.

“Where is Red Skull?” He was nowhere to be found.

“Oh shit. Did we lose him back there?”

Just when they were about to go looking for the old man, a car – a limo no less – stopped next to them. They tensed and were prepared to fight if it was an enemy. But to their surprise, the window rolled down to reveal Red Skull. Well, it paid well to have people with questionable moral high ground in their team. It made things easier. No fuss no muss. And hey, they had a car now. A classy one. Even better.

“Alright Trip. Be a good human GPS and lead the way.” He just rolled his eyes and told Red Skull to drive once he finished putting in their destination on the GPS in the limo.

It wasn’t long before they reached the train station. There were actually people on the road and on the pavement. However, Trip’s plan to ride the train to Sink City was thwarted because the station was damaged and the train service was stopped for the foreseeable future. So, they decided to drive.

They reached an intersection when their road trip was rudely interrupted. There was a brief moment of panic when a bubble suddenly appeared and engulfed the limo.

“Oh come on. First, a monster. Then, a sulking dragon. This time a bubble? What next?” Natasha grumbled. But her words were soon muffled as darkness filled the space within the bubble. And they disappeared, leaving a bunch of stunned spectators behind with their vanishing act.

Within a few heartbeats, they were suddenly thrust into the middle of traffic in a different city where they witnessed someone who looked just like the English woman from the Nextwave Squad joyriding recklessly and causing a mess on the road.

Seeing that she was someone they knew in that comic world, the team decided to follow her, breaking as many as seven traffic laws and left behind a pandemonium in their wake. Well, that was nothing new. They did that most of the time back at home anyway.

They found out that the squad was fighting a giant robot. Trip remembered that it was an easy one for the misfit superheroes so the team decided to help the civilians instead. Their effort was noted by the Nextwave squad and they came over to talk – in actuality, the comic team was suspicious because Daisy and the gang had been at both cities where these UWMD appeared.

“You guys again? What are you doing here?”

“Helping the civilians while you’re fighting the robot.”

Both teams eyed each other – the Nextwave squad with suspicions and curiosity, the SHIELD team portrayed a calm surface and sincerity (which was totally fake by the way as they were manipulating the other group into accepting them. They did need help navigating this weird world.) The team later made up a story that they were sent to help the squad to battle their enemy; and keeping their origin under cover at the same time.

After they established that both teams were on the good side, the Nextwave squad invited the S.H.I.E.L.D. team to ride with them and joined their crusade in destroying the Beyond Corporation’s destructive marketing plan. Believing that that was what they needed to do in the comic world, the team agreed, though not immediately. It would look suspicious if they did so eagerly.

They were brought to the Nextwave squad’s transportation, which they found really awesome.

“Welcome to the Shockwave Rider.”

“This thing defies logic. It is bigger on the inside. How do you power this thing?” Daisy’s nerdy side was giddy with this new discovery.

“It is inexhaustibly powered by the classified Zero Point Squirt drive, and contains five tesseract zones. It means we don’t need to refuel.”

“I don’t know what Zero Point Squirt drive is but not having to refuel was awesome. Which company made this?”

“It’s an experimental vehicle of Beyond Corporation and we stole it when we left H.A.T.E.”

And so, both teams continued to foil the terrorist cell’s plans. They went to their War Garden where their enemy grew the Broccoli Men and destroyed everything there. They also fought with H.A.T.E. Apparently, the general of the agency was a loony bin.

H.A.T.E. had the weirdest weapons the team ever seen like cuddly koala bears of death, Assault Pterosuit Team (just men in Pterodactyl suits) who shot Quantum-Tunnel Drill Bits (whatever those might be) as opposed to bullets, Samurai robots, Homicide Crab (they were just robot crabs that exploded upon impact), Neo-Hyde Gutspawn that was supposed to eat girls and atomic puppies.

Trip was so helpfully supplying the names and what those weapons could do. Not that they all cared about it one bit. They just wanted to destroy every single one of them so that they could get out as soon as they could make it. Besides, those were stupid names anyway.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. team helped blasted all of them but the Aeromarine – the main HQ and transportation of H.A.T.E. – kept throwing stupid weapons at them. Trip knew every single weapon the enemy would toss at them so they were prepared. The attack was foiled in no time and they managed to chase the enemy away. Well, when you have superpowers and amazing skills and weapons, plus a comic otaku who knew everything before it even happened, the enemy didn’t stand a chance. Later, they spent a few hours resting and socializing while waiting for Daisy and the cyborg to finish repairing the Shockwave Rider.

Their next fight was against supernatural beings called the Mindless Ones from the Dank Dimension, wherever that might be. Eliminating them was a piece of cake because how hard could it be when the enemy had no minds to plan a sound strategy. By this point, the team questioned more and more the purpose of being sent there. It didn’t seem to have anything to do with freeing Natasha from the bond.

Then, following the stolen marketing plan, they went to a city that was devoid of any inhabitants only to find out that it was a fake one meant to lure the Nextwave squad. It even flew on jets! A freaking flying city! There was also an upside down floating castle above the city where the CEO of Beyond and his goons were plotting the death of the Nextwave Squad. With so many ridiculous fights they got involved in, the team was wondering whether this was really what they were supposed to do in that comic world. They also wondered how much longer they had to be there.

They also fought a group of superhero rejects who called themselves The New Paramounts among others, on the floating fake city. The Paramounts were not super at all. Just a bunch of annoying broccoli men in superhero costumes. The only challenging foe was the one wearing a cooking pot as a hat (he looked ridiculous) who managed to unleash his power on them.

There was a bright light and their muscles turned sluggish. They felt as though their bones turned to liquid, unable to uphold their own bodies as they fell to the ground.

“No!!”

They could hear Daisy and Ramona shouted in terror and the sound of feet running towards them, but they could not keep their eyes opened. In the end, those who were exposed to the bright light succumbed to the enemy’s attack as they eventually fell into oblivion.


	20. When Realities Collide (Part 1)

Natasha came to with a massive headache. Still feeling disoriented, she took stock of her surroundings. It was totally dark and it took some time until her eyes adjusted to the darkness. All she could see was a barren room with nothing that she could use as a weapon. She didn’t even see a door. It must have been hidden somewhere. She refused to believe that the room was built around her – she wasn’t out that long, right? – unless they got someone with the power to manipulate soil or concrete or whatever the material used to build this room.

She didn’t know how long she was held in there or if the others were okay. Her captor had stripped her of all weapons, including the one she hid in her boot. Well, almost. At least, they didn’t find the one she concealed in her bra. She got up and walked to the wall, touched it, trying without vain to find the door or a crevice that might be an indentation for a secret door or even anything she can use as weapons. She found none. She sat back down at the spot she woke up and began to sort her thoughts and her plan of action.

There must be an entrance to this place. She was just about to get up and check the floor or even the low ceiling when she heard the sound of footsteps outside her prison. It wasn’t long after she sat down when she saw a sliver of light appeared on one of the walls and it got bigger and bigger revealing an opening. A hidden door. It must have been a clever design as she couldn’t find it when she inspected that particular spot earlier. Must be the darkness and the headache. It messed with her senses.

Someone entered. From the weight of the person’s steps and the shadowy visage provided by what little light that passed through the door, the Black Widow could tell that it was a very tall man built like a bodybuilder. That could be problematic but beatable. She pretended to still being unconscious. The person walked toward her unaware of Natasha's wakefulness.

Once he bent down towards her, Natasha didn’t waste any precious second; she struck. A potentially bone breaking karate chop to the throat that probably shattered his Adam’s apple surprised the newcomer. She moved swiftly to the side and smashed his face on the wall. His cry of agony was soon muffled with a deadly right hook to his jaw (and if she scraped the upper part of his throat along the way, it wasn’t her fault). A knee to the groin and her captor doubled over in pain. He ended up on his butt as Natasha swiped his feet off the floor. And a volley kick to the head sent him flying to the wall again and into the darkness. 

It was his own fault and stupidity when Natasha rendered him unconscious effortlessly. He didn’t even stop to determine whether his captive was awake or not. “Typical amateurs.” She scoffed.

Frisking her victim for weapons and anything useful, she lucked out with two guns, a combat knife, a roll of garrote and a bunch of keys – keys to freedom, if she could find her way out before they realized that she escaped. She moved silently towards the door and carefully checked outside the room for the man’s accomplice. She searched for any surveillance camera as well. Finding the hallway clear, she quietly walked her way out.

A few long abandoned hallways, staircases and rooms later, she found herself surrounded by crates of all sizes and a bunch of wannabe militants, heavily armed to the teeth. Natasha skirted the area, hiding in the shadows and amongst the crates, stealthily heading towards the door she could see at the corner of that warehouse-like room. At least she tried to. If only that furry cat didn’t jumped in front of her and made her stumbled onto an open crate full of weapons, creating a ruckus she didn’t need right now.

‘Damn cat!’

~~~~####~~~~

Antoine Triplett woke up screaming and gasping for air; wild-eyed checking his surroundings, he found himself in a cavern; internally asking how the hell he got there, while trying to piece together what happened before. All he remembered was a really bright light. They must have captured him. He groaned. 

The light was really dim but he could see rubble of rocks around him, and none of his teammates or the Nextwave squad. Either they were separated or managed to evade capture. Inhaling a sharp breath, he listened for any sound of his captor. It was too quiet. In fact, it was deathly still.

He took out his phone – funny how his belongings were still untouched; it seemed that whoever they might be, were not worried at all to not strip him of all his weapons. Turning on the flashlight app on his phone, he looked around more clearly. His hand found one large rock to his left. He took it, scrutinized it silently, thinking he could use it as a silent weapon if someone suddenly barged in.

He let out a shocking gasp which later turned to pain when the light shone on the rock. No, no, no! His mind tried its best to deny it. He couldn’t, no, he would not accept it. That rock was not a real head. Yup, it was just a sculpted one. However, his heart stuttered when he saw the rest of the rocks nearby. Rocky version of body parts of people he knew personally in the clothing he saw them in right before the bright light. No. he was sure that these were all a sick joke his captor played on him.

He touched the cheek of the face-like rock in his hand, scratching it. Some of the rock came off and revealed a sliver of human skin. He scratched the rock surface again and more skin was revealed. Still, he was not convinced that it was real. He did the same to one of the body parts and the rock fell off around it. He gasped and dropped it. His doubt that it was not a human limb was thrown out of the window. Even if it was, his hope that it belonged to a stranger was crushed when something caught his attention. A very familiar accessory of someone very dear to him.

“No…NO! Not her.” He whimpered. “This is not real.” He chanted again and again. “I gotta get out of here.”

He searched the cavern frantically for a way out. Running towards a path he could see hidden behind an enormous column of stalagmite, he stormed the hell out of there. Only to be sent on a confusing run of twist and turns within the structure by which he now realized was a gigantic cave with multiple large chambers. Did he just end up going deeper into the cave? He had no sense of direction in there and panic was sinking in.

There was no end to the number of turns he took; he was still lost within the massive rocky maze. Thanks to his childhood trauma, a maze was the last place he wanted to be. Obviously, he panicked even more and years spent as a badass agent did nothing to quell it. Retracing his steps was out of the question. There were just too many forks in the paths he’d taken, he’d just got himself lost. Therefore, he kept going, ignoring how the blood roared in his ears and how fast his heart was beating, all the while sidelining any thoughts of worst case scenarios. Though that was easier said than done.

His phone was losing juice and the light it produced was dimming. There was a sound of running water that terrified him as he arrived at another chamber that had a river flowing through it. This was getting worse and worse. How deep was this cave? He was pretty sure by now that he was probably not going to find his way out. He should have really checked the area near the part of the cave he woke up in. The mouth of the cave must have been nearby. Now when he thought about it, he realized that there was no way his captor would have dragged his ass that far into the cave.

Carefully stepping on the ledge next to the wall of the cave, he kept on moving towards what he wanted to believe as the mouth of the cave. In his haste to get out of the labyrinth, he slipped and fell into the river. The water was ice cold. He froze for a while and he got dragged away, further into the cave. Cursing his bad luck, he exerted himself for the swim of his life but to no avail. He was too tired and the current was too strong.

Never in his imagination did he ever think that he would die by drowning in an underground river. But he was just too exhausted and he could feel himself sinking under. To make it worse, the river flowed through a hole in the wall that formed a tunnel. He didn’t know how long the tunnel was but he felt his chest burning excruciatingly by holding in his breath before he emerged in another chamber.

To make matter worse, he was heading towards a whirlpool in the middle of the chamber. He never heard of any underground whirlpool before that he believed his eyes were tricking him. Yet, the force that pulled him towards it was real and he was struggling.

In one last hope that all this was not real, he opened his eyes and he saw something in the water, rapidly moving towards him. He spluttered for air and frantically moving his limbs in a pitiful effort to save himself. That thing eventually caught his leg and he struggled to escape. As if being swallowed by a whirlpool was not dramatic enough, he now had to deal with this – whatever this thing was.

“Trip!” That thing even knew his name. It kept roaring his name as it caught his arm. And he was truly sinking. This was it. He was really going to die this time, eaten by an unknown creature in an underground river in an unspecified cave. In a fucking comic world if he were to point that out. Not that it was better than drown to his death.

No longer have the strength to fight whatever it was that was devouring him, he was on the road to succumb to nothingness. Gulping for air and got mostly water, he felt his limbs getting heavy, and like an untethered anchor, he sank. At last, he could rest. And he wished the others were safe.

“Trip!” If only that thing just ate him already instead of calling his name and nudging him and slapping his face. Couldn’t he at least die in peace?

“Trip, open your eyes, dammit!”

He opened his eyes again and was confused to find himself out of the water. In fact, there was no water, pool or river in the vicinity. Even his outfit was dry. He jerked up into a sitting position in confusion, thirstily gulping fresh air.

“What the hell?”

“Jeez, you’re really taking your sweet time waking up.”

“Ramona?” the gypsy grunted and started to rise.

“I was drowning in an underground river.” He mumbled.

“What?”

“I was drowning in an underground river.”

“No. You were just groaning and moving your limbs like crazy.” She said, already moving away from him.

“So, it wasn’t real. Oh thank goodness. I knew those rocky remains weren’t Daisy.” He exhaled staggeringly. The relief he felt was immense.

~~~~####~~~~

Someone was calling her name repetitively. She groaned, feeling lightheaded. Maria Hill forced her eyes to open but the bright light made her closed them immediately. She grunted when the same voice called her again followed by an annoying hand prodding her face softly.

“For goodness sake, stop poking me if you still want your limb intact.” The person stopped as she growled her annoyance.

“Maria. Thank goodness you’re awake. You okay?”

She only grunted, didn’t care how the person interpreted that. Her eyes were so sensitive she had to squint and blink a few times to get her bearing, and to top off everything, she had a splitting headache. And the voice kept on yapping. This dude was so noisy. Couldn’t he at least wait until her headache subsided? Or at least until her vision returned to normal. She grumbled irritatingly as she got herself together.

"They're gone."

"What?”

"They're gone. He got them."

Once she stopped blinking, she looked around. She didn’t see Daisy, Natasha and Wanda. Aside from Maria, Ramona and Trip were the only ones there. There was no sign of the Nextwave squad and Red Skull either.

“Where’s Red Skull?”

Ramona shook her head, pointed to her right. “He didn’t make it.” What kind of force killed him that easily?

“The Nextwave Squad?”

“Two didn’t make it. The others weren’t here when I woke up. Either they went after the missing ones or those assholes managed to capture them as well.”

They went looking for their missing teammates. It was not easy. The city was big and there were too many possible places to hide an abductee. In fact, they had no idea where to start. They activated the tracking device but they couldn’t get a hold of the others’ exact whereabouts. Just an approximation of the direction they might be but not their precise coordinates. Something was interfering with their techs. Ramona tried searching for them using her power but couldn’t pinpoint a specific location either. It was like their presence was purposely blanketed. However, finding them was imperative. They focused their search nearby, with each of them canvassing different directions.

“Walking around this place gave me a déjà vu.” Trip’s voice chirped through her earpiece.

“Why is that?” Ramona pitched in.

“Before you woke me up, I was trapped in a labyrinth within a massive cave I can’t get out of. It was very distressful. In fact, I believed I died there.”

“No wonder you sounded distressed and were flailing frantically.” Ramona said understandingly. There was a lull moment as they processed that.

“So, how does canvassing the area bring up that distressful feeling?”

“There are too many buildings. You can’t see things around you. Like in the cave. It’s like a maze.”

“You hate mazes.” Maria stated matter-of-factly.

“Exactly. The feeling was a lot worse than that time I got lost in the hedge maze during that outing with your grandparents.”

"Keep on looking. They must be here somewhere."

Maria was scouting from building to building when she saw a glimpse of a shadow moving very fast inside a warehouse. There was some commotion and she could hear people fighting. The tracking device beeped seconds later. Finally.

"I found Natasha. No visual sign of the others. But the tracker picked up their signals here. Get to my location now."

She couldn’t wait for the other two to come from god knew where. Natasha needed help now. She was already cornered against the crates in the warehouse. Sneaking into the building, she saw Natasha was badly injured - an arm that bend unnaturally, blood was all over her face and there were tears and wet patches on her suit, which Maria was sure not just water or sweat. She fought against a group of militia looking people and she was losing.

When Maria came near enough, she shot whoever blocked her path. But there were too many of them. She told the others to hurry up. Just as she was on a roll dropping the enemy left and right, she glanced at the redhead and witnessed bullets upon bullets slammed into her wife. The impact of the shots knocked Natasha to the wall like a broken ragdoll.

Maria screamed. She saw red. She could hear her teammates' frantic voices asking her the situation but she froze. Then she moved, shooting the thugs with a deadly precision in autopilot mode. She felt a bullet hit her shoulder. A through and through. Another grazed her bicep - a flesh wound; and then she felt nothing except extreme rage and fear. It wasn’t long before she blacked out, whispering her wife’s name in anguish.

~~~~####~~~~

Trip heard gunshots and Maria's scream. A sound that chilled him to his bones. Maria was not a screamer. A stern yell maybe and when she did, it was always due to reasons that prompted her to do so. But she did not scream like that. That particular sound he just heard was something similar to the one she produced one fated bloody day years ago when they were still children. The kind of scream he never wanted to hear from her ever again. Because it meant an extremely horrifying event just happened. Trip hurried up as he knew that Maria would black out soon. A very dangerous situation indeed.

“Ramona, where are you?”

“Almost there. I’m at the back of the warehouse. It’s insanely huge!”

“Good. I’m a block away. Get to Maria now.”

“On it. Where exactly is she? Oh shit.”

“What? Ramona, tell me what happen?”

“I don’t know where Maria is but I see Wanda. Things do not look good. Trip, get your ass here now. I gotta go to Wanda. You get to Maria.”

Trip ran faster to the warehouse, hoping that everybody was safe. As hopeful as he was, Trip knew that that wasn’t the case. He knew that these were the people who had endured the worst hand the universe had dealt for them. Even in a different universe this world was, they couldn’t escape this, just like Ramona once mentioned ‘full of trials and tribulations.’ But, he feared that this might be even worst than all of those bad moments altogether. And most of the time, his instincts were never wrong.

The faster he wanted to go to his family, the more obstacles he faced. When he neared the warehouse, he was caught off guard by an explosion a few feet to his right. It propelled him through the air and he landed hard on chunks of concrete and a sea of broken glasses shattered at the explosive impact, with a lot more rained on him. Bits and pieces of them scraped his skin; he even felt a few larger ones embedded in his flesh.

Before he could get himself reoriented, a bunch of super soldiers ambushed him. He thought S.H.I.E.L.D. had eliminated all of them before. For a second he forgot that they were still in the comic world; and this world did not have S.H.I.E.L.D. But it was still a real world with all the dangers – just a different universe than theirs.

They threw him into one of the buildings and they fought. He was pushed deeper into the building and was struggling to fend off barrages of attacks and bullets. He swore frustratingly. He didn’t have time for this, dammit. So, he did what he was best at – creating glamours and camouflage – which resulted in his opponents fighting and killing each other. Fine by him.

“Hold on, Maria. I’m heading your way.” He panted to his earpiece. Whatever injuries he sustained were further from his mind. He quickened his pace, frantic with worry. The girls needed him now more than ever. If only he could find his way out of the damaged building with all the rubbles worthy obstacles and the remnants of his power – which created some sort of a maze he did not need to deal with right now.

“I really hate mazes!”


	21. Through Gritted Teeth She Curses

Wanda Maximoff internally cursed her rotten luck. She had always hated small, enclosed spaces. The fact that she was currently in one, reminded her too much of the cells she occupied in Sokovia and then later at the Raft. Luckily, this time around, she had her girlfriend with her even though Daisy was still out cold. So, that at least helped to calm her down before she went on an anxiety meltdown. Desperately needed to ensure herself that she was really there, Wanda pulled the Inhuman to her, placing Daisy’s head on her lap and started to piece things together.

Her mind went to the others. Were they in the same predicament? Or did they manage to evade captivity and were currently working on rescuing them? However it might be, the two of them must find their way out of this place; just in case everyone else was incapacitated too. She just had to wake her up and plan their escape. Would they be able to sneak their way out stealthily or destructively? With both of them in the equation, things could really turn either way. Wherever their place of confinement was, she hoped they were still somewhere on the flying city.

Revelling in the soothing and familiar action of running her fingers through the brunette’s hair, Wanda tried to reach Daisy using her power. It was to no avail. Even in repose, her girlfriend’s mental block was still impenetrable. It was the only good thing that came out of the Hive fiasco a few years ago. It was one of the things Wanda felt relieved about in their relationship. She wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally used her power on the Inhuman and messed her mind for Daisy was now impervious to mind control and manipulation of all sorts.

A groan on her lap pulled her out of her musings. She looked down and smiled when Daisy turned and buried her face deeper into her belly. Wanda called her name affectionately. That only earned her another groan and a grunt. Seconds later, a pair of unfocused brown eyes peered up at her.

“Hey. How are you?”

Daisy just stared at her before her eyes cleared and a blissful smile blossomed on her face.

“Like I just woke up in the lap of an angel.” Wanda couldn’t help the light chuckle she let out at Daisy’s answer. “May I implore you for a kiss?” The brunette must have not realized their circumstance yet to flirt right after she opened her eyes. But still Wanda bent down and indulged her with a soft kiss.

“I’ve been blessed,” Daisy sighed dreamily. “The angel is such a great kisser. Care to gift me with more kisses?” She quirked an eyebrow at her, an inquisitive smile tugging at her lips. Wanda just smiled fondly at her.

“Though I appreciate the adoration, I’m afraid now is not the time to be flirty.”

Daisy pouted adorably, looking at her with her big puppy eyes and Wanda instantly melted. She kissed her again and her girlfriend sighed happily as their lips met. A peck turned to two and tamed kisses became imploring ones that were passionate enough to warrant a make out session. Wanda was brought out of her Daisy-induced haze when a low moan was heard, though she couldn’t be sure who let it out.

She pulled back a bit and rested their foreheads together, trying to even her breathing. She straightened up when Daisy tried to chase after her lips again and flicked the brunette’s nose playfully.

“Come on. We gotta get out of here.”

Daisy frowned and began looking around them. She sat up slowly and quietly processing their situation.

“Where the hell are we?”

“No idea.”

Her girlfriend wrinkled the bridge of her nose, face deep in thought. “This setup looks familiar. Like I’ve been to a place similar to this.”

“Really? How did you escape?” That got her hope up before it was deflated when Daisy said she didn’t remember.

They scanned the other side of the door using the far reaching ability of their powers. Daisy didn’t sense any heartbeat in their immediate vicinity. Wanda tried to locate any minds she could manipulate but the facility that housed them was void of people. So, they got straight to getting out of their cell, putting aside the strangeness of the circumstance out of their minds.

Daisy had no problem in rigging the control panel of the door and soon they were out. Walking silently, they determinedly chose the direction towards freedom, by having Daisy locating an outdoor source of vibration of something that was not the materials that made up a building. Not that that guaranteed their escape to be unhindered. They were not that optimistic. They were pretty sure that something would appear sooner or later to prevent their escape. Surprisingly, they got out of the compound rather easily, didn’t encounter any unfriendly at all, which was strange; and they thought that there must have been a trap somewhere.

Outside, it was raining pretty heavily and the couple braved through the downpour just to get far away from the building that held them caged. They ended up under a gazebo at a park and huddled close together to keep warm despite being drenched to their undies.

Once the rain let up a bit, they tried to contact the others but was unsuccessful. Fortunately, all of them had trackers somewhere on their persons. So, Daisy activated the tracking device she kept in one of the waterproof pouches on her utility belt. A beep was heard from the device and four dots appeared on the screen. They did not want to waste any more time but to head towards the nearest location as fast as they could. Their friends might need help. However, they would have to wait until the rain stopped.

Daisy looked up at Wanda and smiled.

"What?"

"You look really pretty today."

"Yeah, right. I’m a mess." She rolled her eyes. She looked like a drowned rat. Running in heavy rain was not without mishaps. They slipped and tripped, and almost ran head on into walls and poles. Wanda even fell into a muddy puddle and Daisy just laughed at her for a full minute before she helped her up.

"A very pretty mess."

Wanda huffed, amused but she didn’t try to escape when Daisy wrapped her arms around her waist. It was pretty reassuring to have strong arms that grounded her to the real world; or in their case at the moment, in this comic world. They’d all discussed this and they knew that even dumped into a book, this universe was as real as theirs. Somehow, knowing that multiverse was a thing and wrapping it around her head wasn’t as difficult anymore. At least she was not alone in this.

"A beautiful disaster.” Wanda couldn’t help but to be flustered at her girlfriend’s flirty teasing. She could be saccharinely sweet it was disgustingly mushy sometimes – a trait that one wouldn’t even dare to associate with Daisy Johnson. People saw her as the badass, resourceful agent but caring with a wicked sense of humor. But Wanda wouldn’t have her any other way.

“You are very pretty when you're flustered.” Daisy whispered as she gently tucked Wanda’s hair behind her ear; grinning dotingly at the pink-faced woman before she bent down and connected their lips gently.

Wanda didn’t understand how after all this time, kissing Daisy had always made her giddy. It always felt brand new, still felt so raw and poignant; and yet, somehow it was inevitably familiar. The weird thing was, Wanda could not recall it ever not feeling like that even during the onset of their _non-relationship_ relationship – full with curiosity and wackiness as they fumbled through all their firsts – the brunette's lips had felt like something that was meant to align perfectly with hers. And the trembling breaths Daisy let out never failed to make her feel like it was something she had needed and missed when they were apart.

Of course, initially Wanda found it hard to accept that she was attracted to a woman, let alone someone like Daisy Johnson – an unattainable Inhuman magnate extraordinaire. She might be bias here but she was hopelessly enamored with the woman. It was embarrassing when all she could think of was Daisy, of how she loved it when they touched even during practice and wondering the feel and taste of her lips. To put it simply: having her on her mind constantly like a broken record on a loop was very distracting. It resulted in her not being productive, which led to Natasha and Steve to worry that she might succumb to another bout of depression.

How was she supposed to tell them the real thing? That she was pining after the sometimes aloof, sometimes overly affectionate Daisy Johnson who seemed to be sending Wanda mixed signals. It was truly uncomfortable. And everybody knew that the Inhuman avoided romantic entanglements like a plague since her inauguration as Quake. Another snippet among the myriad of things that caused the girl her PTSD.

She’d blame it all on Daisy. That girl was so tactile, she gave out hugs that in Wanda's opinion, lasted longer and tighter over time; and kissed her (never on the lips though – yet – but yes on the corner of her mouth that caused her to wonder whether it was just a coincidence or intentional) like it was a normal occurrence between friends.

Wanda was further discombobulated with the hand holding, the too-close-to-each other-cuddling, foreheads touching and playing with her hair. Or the lingering looks on her lips when she thought Wanda wasn’t looking. Did she mention that the Inhuman never failed to find the chance to put her arms on her shoulders or around her waist? Plus the almost daily talking on the phone for hours thing except when the brunette was in space? Yeah. What friends did all that? She never saw Daisy did any of those with anyone else to the level she did with Wanda.

Then, she was so supportive and attentive towards her and always there for her. Like, Daisy got her – all of Wanda’s idiosyncrasies and insecurities. So, obviously she couldn’t help but to be ensnared by her the more time they spent together. What else could she do? She might have a powerful ability but she was a novice in this feeling department. She didn’t have the power to stop it nor the knowledge and experience to navigate through that confusing and turbulent moment. It just happened that the first person she fell in love with was a very stubborn, complex woman with complicated past.

And Daisy, she was quite oblivious to the Sokovian’s reasons to blush and be comically clumsy whenever they were in each other’s spheres. Later, Wanda found out that that was not the case – Daisy had always been intuitive, she knew what was going on, alright or else she wouldn’t be sending mixed signals herself – she was just being protective of both of them and was in denial too. Not to mention that she was adamant that she was cursed to have Death followed her and left trails of bodies of everyone she loved. When she found herself falling for Wanda, she sort of recoiled and distanced herself a bit with a messed up notion of protecting her.

Knowing that Daisy purposely avoiding her was hurtful enough to make her moped and grumpy until Natasha who was the first to understand the situation explained it to her. Although she didn’t explicitly say anything about a romantic relationship between women – as in Wanda and Daisy – it was implied. It was still very awkward because Wanda suspected that the redhead knew. That didn’t mean that Wanda would admit anything to her or anyone else. Natasha was Daisy’s sister-in-law, for goodness sake. That fact in itself made her kept her feelings to herself.

It took a lot of work, patience and some frustrated people, namely Natasha, Sharon and Ramona to plot many fake missions that only the two of them could go on; or suggested (more like coerced) them to train powered people and by that, they mostly meant Wanda – worded it like ‘Wanda could really use some lessons in hand-to-hand combat’ – as if her training with Steve and Natasha was not hard enough; and to also drill it into their heads that it was okay to fall in love with each other. That they were strong enough to survive and no curse would tear them apart. Besides, the only pair around them with a curse was FitzSimmons. They made it okay after all and happy. They even brought May on board their matchmaking schemes.

Wanda never imagined that the four ladies could gush out such sentimental stuff. Those days felt so surreal. They even resorted to state assertively that it was written in the stars, that they were soulmates. See what she meant with sentimental stuff? Since when did they even believe in that? May even said that with a straight face. She bet the others forced, no, probably cajoled her to say it, using her love towards Daisy.

Ramona even pitched in that it was inevitable as she pointed it out – ‘Trust me. I’m a Seer.’ So, sooner or later, they were bound to be completely in love with each other. However, both Wanda and Daisy knew that Ramona didn’t see a peep of their future together as a couple. She was just feeling exasperated that they played chicken and would not give in to their mutual feelings when everybody (including themselves) could clearly see that they were so madly enthralled with each other. Besides, all those mooning, moping and in Wanda’s case – being totally distracted, which was on par with Daisy’s sporadically vanishing acts, interfered with the gypsy’s plan. She did after all have to work and train with the hopeless lovebirds.

And when they finally acknowledged it, it was the best moment of their lives and the kiss that followed left them both breathless – while totally disregarding the fact that their breathlessness was mostly due to them almost drowned less than a minute earlier due to another fake mission, which unbeknownst to the matchmakers, unexpectedly turned out to be real – and certain of what they wanted. Almost dying really put them in a perspective. In retrospect, by being in each other’s lives all these years, they did save each other literally and figuratively. What with their jobs and PTSD and mental well-being.

Afterwards, they pretended to still not being together yet for a few weeks since then just to see what the four matchmakers would do to force them together. It was fun while it lasted. Not so much when they found out. You just did not trick a quartet of very much invested, impassioned matchmakers. It was a sacrilege. They took offence to that as if them meddling in their love life was not intrusive at all. All in all, things were good. They were happy and the rest was history.

~~~~####~~~~

“Oh, crap!”

She cursed for the second time that day. She wasn’t sure what happened. Everything happened very fast. All she remembered was that they were running towards their friends when they were ambushed. It was chaotic. She was separated from Daisy and was put in a white room once they managed to cuff her with something that neutralized her power. She cursed her rotten luck.

Trying to escape was futile. Once, she attacked them in hand-to-hand combat like Daisy taught her and caused an impressive decline in the number of guards in the room. Only to be electrocuted before they beat her up and restrained her to the wall. They even put a steel choker around her throat so that she was flushed against the wall, suspended five feet from the floor full of upturned sharp knives embedded in it like some medieval torture technique she heard was common in ancient Sokovia. She tried using her power, the cuffs apparently were not able to totally inhibit her power; but she immediately felt all those steel cuffs tightened. Even the one around her throat bit into her. And again she swore. How the hell was she going to get out of this?

Then, like a knight in shining armor (more like black combat suit), Daisy came in like a hurricane; she bulldozed over everyone and saved her. Though not without a stream of curses and threats to maim whoever caused Wanda’s injuries. Once Wanda was free from her spot on the wall, they were ready to flee. Or so she thought.

‘Dammit.’ She had lost count of how many times she cursed that day. It irked her that their escape was made impossible by the arrival of more guards and weapons. When it appeared that they were going to make it out of there, a bright light blinded them and all she could hear was a loud noise and she felt excruciating pain hit her right square in the chest; and it sent her flying. The last thing that she could remember was that there was a rumble and everything was falling apart. She tried to get up but her body just wouldn’t comply. Whispering her girlfriend’s name, she succumbed into darkness.

~~~~####~~~~

“Wanda? Hey, open your eyes.”

Someone was caressing her face and calling her name. A familiar voice. Daisy. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of concerned brown eyes peering into hers.

“You akay?”

“I thought I was dying.” She whispered shakily. “What happened?”

She tried to sit up but groaned in pain instead when her ribs felt as though they were on fire. A soft curse left her lips.

“Easy there. Don’t work yourself up. Your ribs might be bruised or broken. Let me check.” She proceeded to pat Wanda’s ribs. Wanda inhaled sharply as she did so. It hurt alright but bearable – slightly. She was still pretty sore all over her body from the beatings she got earlier.

“Not broken, only bruised. You’ll survive,” she said lightly. Then, she probed the bloodied area on her head. One of the guards bludgeoned her temple on the left side of her head, which caused her disorientation that they took advantage of and subdued her. Daisy cleaned the wound as best as she could in their situation.

“That might need a stitch or two, but for now, a butterfly bandage will do.”

Next, Daisy checked her for a concussion. Satisfied that the head wound did not result in concussion, she released a relieved sigh and continued her perusal of the multiple injuries Wanda sustained.

After a while, once Wanda felt better and confident enough to move freely; they headed towards the location where their friends might be according to the tracking machine. They made it to the next building uneventfully only to clash head on with a machine that sprayed them with something that rendered them paralyzed. Some sort of an incapacitating agent or a tranquilizer, she hoped. It’d better not be a lethal nerve gas like Sarin or they were screwed. Wanda cursed for the umpteenth time that day. She should have known that their mission would be full of obstacles.

For the second time in less than six hours, she found herself separated from Daisy. They dumped her in a barren room while they took Daisy who was immediately put in a weird contraption that sent her to sleep instantly, somewhere far from her location. She reckoned that was to suppress her power. Their separation caused her to panic and she hyperventilated.

‘C’mon Wanda. Get a grip. Now is not the time to have a panic attack.’ Her mind screamed at her to get ahold of herself. That was easier said than done. She gulped and sucked the air hungrily while trying to calm herself down. Her bruised ribs and battered body didn’t make her condition any better. But the pain did help her focused to resolve her next course of action. She had to get out and find Daisy. By any means.

Their captors must have not known about her power; or they might deem her unimportant enough to dismiss her as someone who wasn’t dangerous for they didn’t do anything else to her aside from confining her in there. Manipulating the locking mechanism of the room with her power should be a piece of cake. Finding the lock or the control panel to manipulate was harder. It took her quite some time – too long in her opinion as they could do a lot of things to Daisy in the meantime – because that blasted panel was nonexistent from inside the room. Nevertheless, Wanda Maximoff wasn’t a quitter, especially when her girlfriend’s well-being was on the line.

After much grumbling, cursing and promising their captors hell, she eventually found herself out. It was vague in her memory of what she did, to actually manifest a hole in the wall she believed where the door roughly was. She knew what she needed to do. Ramona taught her well on how to utilize the chaos magic – the source of her power. Not that she was an expert in it yet, she was still learning. However, to do it in such a pressing situation and mental state was really tough. She guessed all those lessons actually paid off in the end.

The stress of getting out of that room aggravated her injuries more. But she didn’t have the luxury to give in to the pain nor to waste any precious seconds. Daisy needed her now. The problem was to find out where those people took her. Remembering the tracking device all of them had, she searched the inner pocket of her jacket for the device, turned it on and zoomed on the location of the dot nearest to her. With the location locked, she proceeded with the most important mission in her life: rescuing the reason for her ‘happily ever after.’

“Hold on, baby. I’m coming for you.”


	22. When Realities Collide (Part 2)

She sprinted towards Daisy’s location. Upon a corner of the hallway, a door suddenly opened, creating an obstacle in her path. Unable to stop, she rammed face first into it.

“Fuck!” She cursed as her nose bled profusely. She just hoped it was not broken. She did not need a nosebleed when she was already in a hurry to save her girlfriend. Who the heck designed a door that opened outward towards the hallway?

The person who opened the door was surprised to say it mildly. However, that didn’t stop him from firing at her at the same time Wanda hurled a red ball of energy towards him. She was lucky that the guy attacked her using a non-lethal weapon that fired electroshock projectiles that did not kill but painful nonetheless, similar to a stun gun or a Taser; otherwise she would be dead by now when it hit her neck. She swore aloud.

However, that didn’t mean that she was safe. Temporary semi-disability that prevented her from moving freely might compromise her safety and the rescue mission. So, she focused her power and moved herself into the room to wait for the effect of the weapon to subside.

She scanned the room and saw a lot of food and drinks, a few chairs and tables. There was a mini kitchen area at the corner of the room. A microwave, a coffee machine and a water cooler could be seen near the door.

‘This must be the break room.’ She hoped nobody needed sustenance at the moment or she’d be caught, unable to defend herself.

Once she was free from her temporary paralysis, cleaned up her face and satisfied that her nose was not broken, she checked the other guy. He was wearing a white lab coat. It made Wanda uneasy. A scientist? A doctor? It was never a good thing when a shady organization had those people around.

She found an ID card with a mini chip embedded in it on him and took it. It would be helpful for easy access around the compound. She also pilfered the lab coat and put it on to blend in. Finding nothing else on him, she dragged him to one of the cabinet door, which turned out to be a small janitor closet, and dumped him in there. She took his weapon from the floor and moved towards the door, taking a handful of mini chocolates on the counter nearby. It had been hours since she ate.

Scanning the hallway and finding it empty, she crept her way to where she was sure Daisy was held in, thanks to the tracker. Getting through to her intended destination without any other mishaps was easy. She just sent anyone she saw to sleep with her power. Calming herself down and opening the door at the end of the hallway, however, was not. It was like having a heart palpitation – that was how nerve wrecking this was making her.

Finding out that behind the door was a lab made her heart stuttered before it beat faster. Secret labs brought back nasty memories to her. Hearing agonizing screams from behind the glass wall surrounding the sunken floor in the middle of the lab was absolutely disturbing. Recognizing to whom those screams belonged to was a heart stopping moment. Deducing what might cause it was devastating. Processing that she was frozen, rooted to the floor, where anyone might caught her skulking around was frightening. Her anxiety was definitely going through the roof.

The sound of something crashed, feet shuffling and shouts that reached her ears jolted her to action. She moved forward to see what was happening beyond the glass wall. Although it was of no use and in her heart of hearts, she knew who it was; Wanda still hoped she was wrong. However, hoping and wishing was useless when she was presented with the evidence right in front of her eyes.

It was chaos. The dozen or so lab rats in white coats were shouting at each other. They moved in frenzy. Wanda saw the contraption that housed Daisy was rapidly filled with smoke. It later vibrated and shattered, sending shards of glass all over the place. The control area was engulfed in smoke before it was caught on fire as the machine malfunctioned. One scientist immediately doused it with fire extinguisher. But another area caught on fire right after.

‘Daisy!’ Wanda screamed and was frantically trying to come up with a plan to save her. Wanda Maximoff was not a strategist. Besides, she was scared and desperate, she could not really think of something that was effective and not destructive. Seeing the Inhuman in agony did not help her to think calmly. But saving her she must by any means necessary.

So, she ran down to the lower part of the lab, surprising the scientists and incapacitating those on her path; desperately trying to get to Daisy. Praying that Daisy was okay, she went to the only white coat near the row of computers and dial buttons. However, before she could reach him, he pushed a button that sent a massive electroshock that rivaled the force of a superbolt through the remaining wires on Daisy that Wanda was afraid might fry her. The brunette’s body jolted and shook violently as her wounded and tired form tried to withstand the attack on her person but it was too much.

The building shook, the ground under them cracked, fissures appeared all around them and little by little, the wing that housed the lab disappeared as if it never exist. The only thing that remained was the ashes and the dust falling to the ground as the weakened Daisy unleashed the last of her power before she succumbed to darkness.

“NO!” Wanda ran to her, tossing red power orbs to everyone in the room that caused them to freeze. She slid to the floor and checked on Daisy. A bit charred and some residual static still present on her figure, which made it hard for Wanda to touch her. She was not breathing. She checked her pulse. Wanda did not want to believe that there was none. Her hands were shaking. She checked again and then proceeded to give her CPR. She was crying and calling Daisy’s name again and again like a prayer that went unanswered. She didn’t know what else to do. It felt like forever – her trying to revive Daisy.

Wanda screamed her misery while cradling Daisy’s prone body. Overcame with excruciating fury and grief, she unknowingly let loose her powers, affecting everyone present. Those who were frozen earlier, dropped down moaning in distress as they were trapped in their worst memories. But that didn’t stop her nor was she aware of it. Her focus was solely on the brunette. Subconsciously, she could feel her power flowed wildly inside, swirling an angry turbulence fed by her anguish and hopelessness; but she couldn't care less about it.

“You’re all going to die.” A cold, deadly promise slipped through her lips. She did not want to hold it in. She just let it all go. Red wisps eddied around her and Daisy like a blanket, covering them from the outside world. She was lost, too consumed in pain and the rush of the power she released without restrain.

A string of wails and sobs from her victims barely registered on her subconscious as she held Daisy numbly. All sounds around her faded. Everything else ceased to exist for her, only endless stream of memories of them together permeated her mind. She didn’t even realize when the people around her got destroyed as she poured her power more and more around her and into them as tears trailed down her cheeks, that they clawed upon themselves just to stop the pain. Not even when one by one, their breathing stopped and their mutilated body stilled as the mental pain turned physical so violently that the only form of relief was death.

Nothing else mattered but her other half. The one who brought her out of her depression. The one who put a smile on her face when nothing else ever did. The one who understood her. The one who gave her a purpose in life and showed her that she could be happy. The one she now had lost.

She didn’t know how long she mourned her girlfriend’s death or what happened around her. All she knew was that she lost the love of her life to some deranged people who experimented on humans. She didn’t even realize the raindrops that soaked her clothes. She was so lost, so out of it she didn’t register a voice calling her name tentatively.

“Wanda.” She blinked.

“Hey. You okay?” She squinted at a woman who was hovering next to her and scrutinizing her in concern.

Immediately, everything came back to her. Her gritty and swollen eyes, the throbbing soreness all over her body and a headache that was killing her. What happened? Did someone hit her while she was deep in her grief? She groaned her discomfort.

“Ramona? Ramona, you have to help me. Please, bring her back,” she cried.

“Wanda. You know I can’t resurrect people.” Ramona checked on Daisy, just to make sure.

“But I can’t lose her. She’s everything to me.” Wanda sobbed brokenly.

“I’m so sorry.” She squeezed Wanda’s shoulder. After a while, she continued, “but we have to get out of here.”

Wanda couldn’t move. She couldn’t, no, wouldn’t accept that she lost Daisy. The turmoil inside her began again intensely. This time it was too wild, too much and too fast. It wasn’t her intention but she could not stop it. After years of wielding her ability like a pro, it was a testament to how bad the situation was and how terrible she felt when she lost control of her power. She heard Ramona shouted her name. She didn’t know what she did or what happened after that as she fell into the reddish darkness surrounding her, whispering an apology to Ramona for whatever harm her power might have caused the gypsy.

~~~~####~~~~

“Wanda? Hey, open your eyes.”

Someone was caressing her face lightly and calling her name. A familiar voice. A sting pierced her heart.

“Daisy?” No way. She died in her arms. What a sick joke was this?

“Hey. How are you feeling?” Daisy helped her to sit and Wanda immediately wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“Like my heart was ripped to pieces and mended again.”

Daisy frowned and looked at her seriously.

“What?”

“You died and left me.” She sobbed.

“Huh? What do you mean? No one died. I’m still here.”

“I held you in my arms. You were no longer breathing. I lost you. And then, I lost it.” She cried quite hysterically.

“Oh sweetheart, please don’t cry. I’m here. See?” Daisy cupped her cheeks, brushed her tears and leaned their foreheads together. “I’m fine. I’m alive. You haven’t lost me.” She took Wanda’s hand and brought it to her chest where her heart was beating strongly. “Do you feel it?”

It took a while for Wanda to stop crying and be assured that Daisy was indeed still alive. Daisy kissed her softly and Wanda buried her face in the crook where Daisy’s neck met her shoulder. Her favorite spot. Breathing in her girlfriend’s scent, she sighed in relief. They stayed like that for a few minutes.

“Wanda, what do you mean you lost it?”

Wanda tensed. She did not want to think about it. Sensing her distress, Daisy rubbed her back, soothing her.

“Umm…I lost control of my power.” Daisy peered into her eyes. “When you died.”

She saw Daisy opened her mouth to say something but she was interrupted. Wanda groaned. They didn’t even manage to have a decent conversation as they were rudely attacked by a bunch of mercenaries.

“Oh, for fucking sake! How many times are we gonna get ambushed?”

Daisy chuckled lightly. “It’s part of the job, babe.”

“Well, they could at least wait five minutes longer and stop interrupting us.”

Wanda was grumbling, still feeling annoyed that their conversation was interrupted. She took her frustration out on the mercenaries. It didn’t matter how many thugs they trashed, more kept coming. How many of them did this city have? She didn’t even know where they were. They were running blindly while incapacitating their attackers who were lucky enough to get near them.

Things got from bad to worse when they opened fire. The women ran and dodged the bullets as best as they could. Then, those muscle heads threw grenades and even fired rocket launchers at them that actually sent them flying at times. For real? Inside a building, which did not look stable enough by the way. It wasn’t that they couldn’t stop the attack, there were just too many to focus on as they were attacked from all sides. Therefore, they could only run and dodge while crippling their pursuers one or two at a time. And more of them appeared. What was this place? Did it conjure more soldiers as the women eliminated them?

She wished they could just use their powers but with the bullets raining down on them non-stop and the instability of the place, the circumstances simply did not allow them to do so. Their powers were too destructive to let loose in a tight, unstable space. Wanda could see remnants of destruction around her. Things came to a head when they were trapped in a room that had no exit.

“Great! A dead end. Now what do we do?”

Daisy grinned. “We kick their asses.”

Immediately after she said that, Wanda didn’t waste any time. She put up a shield between them and the mercenaries. Less than a second later, all weapons the men had were disintegrated, thanks to Daisy. She also sent a powerful shockwave that threw all of them away from the room. Then, Wanda attacked them with her power, putting them to restless sleep.

“That was fast. I can’t believe it took us this long to take them down.” Wanda huffed, still a little out of breath from their evasive run.

“This building is the worst place to be cornered into. I’m surprise it’s still standing after those explosions.” Daisy chuckled. “Let’s get out of here.”

She agreed but after everything that happened, she needed a hug first. She was still reeling from Daisy’s supposed death. She didn’t know what actually happened but she was glad the brunette was alive. She embraced Daisy tightly. She felt Daisy tensed and heard her inhaled sharply. Wanda leaned back bit to scrutinize the Inhuman. Her face was a little strained and she did look a little pale.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine. Let’s go find the others.”

“Don’t lie to me.” They held a staring contest for god knew how long. Wanda stared at her defiantly. Daisy sighed in defeat.

“Apparently, I took two maybe three slugs to the guts.” She shrugged. “And a shrapnel from the RPGs.” She added.

“You got shot!? How bad is it?” She poked Daisy’s stomach, trying to gauge the damage.

“Ouch. I don’t think poking me is a good idea now, sweetie.”

“Sorry. But I thought the suit is bulletproof.”

“Well, yeah. But it could only withstand so much. With the bullets raining down on us, it was a miracle that only a few went through. I think the grenades messed with it.” A grenade or two did touch her suit but Wanda wasn’t sure whether Daisy managed to shield herself from the blast or not. She looked fine when it happened. Perhaps as the adrenaline winding down, she only now felt it.

“How are you still standing?” She asked in incredulity. 

“Sheer will,” she chuckled gravely. “But not for long.” Wanda slung her arm around Daisy’s waist when she fumbled. They sat on the floor, with Daisy’s back on the wall. She checked on Daisy’s wounds. There were no exit wounds. The bullets were still inside her. Blood was oozing out of her stomach. She took off her jacket and wrapped it tightly around Daisy, pressing on the bullet holes.

“This reminds me of Italy.”

“How so?”

“Quinn shot me in the guts. Twice. Point blank.” Daisy spoke softly. She was losing a lot of blood. Wanda knew the story. How there was no hope for Daisy to survive. How she coded a few times and totally flat-lined where resuscitation didn’t work on her until they injected her with the GH325 drug.

“Stay with me baby.” She prodded Daisy’s face. “Don’t you dare leave me.”

She didn’t know what else to do. Daisy needed medical attention. In the midst of her crying fest, desperation and fear, she tried to contact the others. But her comms remained silent.

“Wanda.” Daisy rested her palm on her cheek, thumb caressing softly, slowly. “You know that you’re my everything, right?”

Wanda nodded. Daisy occasionally said that when she was to go on difficult or long term missions as if to assure Wanda that she loved her. Daisy smiled lopsidedly. Then, she closed her eyes.

She held Daisy tightly, bawling her eyes out. Begging her to keep fighting. To not leave her behind. To not go where she couldn’t follow. Saying ‘I love you’ again and again. But Daisy’s eyes remained closed.

~~~~####~~~~

“Wanda!”

“Ramona?”

“Yeah. How are you feeling?”

“I don’t want to feel anymore. They killed her. Again.”

“Who?”

“Daisy.”

“What do you mean ‘again’?”

Ramona checked on Daisy. She sighed and turned back to Wanda. Her eyes were red and tears trailed down her cheeks.

“She died once. In a lab. Now she died again. She could block lasers and disintegrate space rocks; and she died from fucking bullets!” She wailed desolately.

“Wanda, listen to me.” She waited until the distraught Sokovian looked up at her. “She’s still alive.”

“What?” Suddenly she felt dizzy. What on earth was going on? Daisy was not dead? Wanda thought she died – twice! She didn’t know what to think anymore. One second Daisy was alive, the next, she was dead. Then alive again. Was she on some weird loop where she had to witness her girlfriend’s death over and over again? Just like her own power, was she doomed to relieve her most painful memory? What was this? Karma?

“Daisy’s alive. Come here. Help me hold her while I conjure a healing spell.” Wanda was still in a daze. She just looked blankly at Ramona.

“Wanda!” That snapped her out of the trance she was in as her clouded mind began to clear.

Magic healing was not advisable before clinical procedure when the bullets were still buried within one’s body. Who knew what damage they did? Guts wounds were messy as there were so many organs involved. But for emergency, it came in handy.

The gypsy conjured a bottle of disinfectant and used it on Daisy. Wanda watched as Ramona carefully extracted the bullets, repaired the innards of Daisy’s stomach and stemmed the bleeding in a makeshift surgical procedure. Then, she healed other visible wounds on Daisy. That would do for now. They needed to bring Daisy to a safer place before a more detailed treatment could be given.

Declining Ramona’s help in carrying Daisy, Wanda scooped Daisy into her arms bridal style and they began to move as fast as they could. She followed the gypsy blindly. She trusted her to bring them to safety.

When they reached the lobby – a little bit damaged from some sort of explosion perhaps– they felt the earth trembled.

“You think that’s Daisy?” Wanda asked, hope tinged her tone.

“Maybe.” Ramona checked Daisy’s pulse and wounds.

“So, she’s okay then.” A relieved breath escaped her lips.

“I have high hopes. Let’s just hope the quake was hers and not the sign the flying city is broken apart or something.”

The frequency and the intensity of the tremors increased and the women did not know how long it would last. Would they be able to leave this place? Or would the whole city break apart and send them plummeting to the ground. Heck, they didn’t even know how high up they were or whether they were still on the blasted city.

A few moment of calm passed by before another earthquake occurred. This one was a lot stronger, probably a 7.0 or more on the Richter scale. It was strong enough that the building there were at swayed and loose concrete and beams started to rain upon them. She quickly manifested a barrier around them.

Another tremble, stronger than the previous one occurred and Wanda lost her balance. It caused her to drop both Daisy and the barrier. It was only for one blasted second. But one second was all it took. She saw it as though it happened in slow motion. One of the steel beams impaled Daisy’s stomach. She wasn’t even given the courtesy to be horrified when a large chunk of concrete fell on her head and she passed out. 

~~~~####~~~~

“Wanda.” Someone was calling her. But the voice seemed far away. That someone shook her shoulder and called her name again. She tried searching for it but everywhere around her was pitch black. She couldn’t even see her own hand.

The voice called her again. She hoped it was Daisy’s but she didn’t want to get her hopes up. The woman was probably still out of it. Nevertheless, the person who kept calling her was persistent. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw a blurred image next to her. She recognized that outline and that voice.

“Ramona?” She croaked. Her throat felt scratchy.

“Yeah. It’s me. You okay?”

“I feel like I’ve been hit by a train.” Ramona’s side of the mouth curled up.

“Think you can move now? We gotta get out of here. Daisy-”

“Daisy!” She jolted into a sitting position and a pained groan left her mouth.

“Woah, calm down.”

“No. she’s injured. There’s a lot of blood. Guts wounds. Impaled. Bad. Really bad.” Wanda was crying hysterically by this point. “You can save her. She’s dying. Do that healing magic. The, the…”

“Recovery?”

“Yes.”

“But Wanda, Daisy’s not here.”

“What? She was here. You were there with us. I held her in my arms as she died or dying. And then, the beam fell. I don’t know any more whether she is alive or not.” She was crying in earnest by now. “Ramona, I couldn’t lose her.” 

“Wanda, I just arrived here. We were looking for you girls. Maria found Natasha but Daisy's nowhere near us. The tracker did pick up her signal somewhere in the building, but she’s not here in this room or in any rooms on this level.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw only your signal in this room. For the past 16 minutes. And I spent half of that time trying to wake you up.”

“Then, what the hell did I just go through?”

“I don’t know. How are you feeling now?”

“Terrible. I still couldn’t focus my eyes.”

“It’ll pass. Now, let’s get these wires off of you.”

“What wires?” She looked at the wires – more like cables to her – attached to her body and head and the machine they connected to. “What on earth is that machine?”

“No idea. What makes you think that Daisy was with you?” That question threw her back to minutes prior. Suddenly, everything rushed back to the forefront of her mind. She jerked up abruptly and frantically searched for the brunette, totally disregarded her tender ribs. Not seeing her girlfriend in that room sent her into a panicky state. A minute passed by before she calmed down.

“I don’t know what is going on, Ramona. One minute, I was dying; then, she was dying and now she’s not even here. I’m confused. Are you sure the tracker doesn’t pick up her signal near me?”

“I’m very sure. Her signal is quite far from you but still inside this building.”

“Then, everything that happened…are you suggesting it’s not real?” She said in disbelief.

“Maybe. I believe it’s this machine.” Ramona tinkered with the screen. A recording soon played on a monitor next to it. A short movie on what happened since she woke up before Daisy was struck till Ramona woke her up was on display. They both gasped. Ramona was shocked at what Wanda did so ruthlessly while Wanda froze at Daisy’s so called death scenes. There was only that one file.

“It’s not real?” She let go a shaky breath. “It felt so fucking real…” The Scarlet Witch whispered. Her heart stuttered when she recalled Daisy’s death.

“What is this machine?”

“I think it could be a VR machine.”

“So, everything that happened was all a simulation?”

“I think so.”

“But, my injuries,” she scanned her own body for injuries, “they are all real. You saw the video. You know how I got them.”

“Could it be that your mind bends the reality or creates a few realities…every time you think Daisy dies?” Ramona muttered absent-mindedly. “I wonder if this machine feeds you the scenes or if it creates probabilities of what ifs based on what it could extract from your mind. Or perhaps you were simply being manipulated by this machine. Or the other way around.”

Wanda pondered that for a while but couldn't be bothered with it as she was more worried about Daisy. She asked Ramona about the signal from Daisy’s tracker. After consulting the tracking device, the gypsy confirmed that the Inhuman was indeed somewhere here and was moving but nowhere near their location.

“Then, Daisy is alive somewhere in this godforsaken building.” She found a ray of hope that she’d get to see Daisy again – alive and kicking.

“Let’s go find her.” She scrambled off the bed, impatient to begin searching for Daisy.

“I’m sure she’s fine on her own. Right now, we need to get to Maria. Something bad happened to her and Natasha. Trip is on his way to her. We’ll look for Daisy on the way there.”

Wanda nodded. So, after Ramona healed her injuries, they hurriedly moved towards Maria and checked along their paths for Daisy’s probable whereabouts. But not before they destroyed the frigging machine.

~~~~####~~~~

The girls reached the couple’s location a few seconds before Trip arrived. They were quite surprised to see a bleeding and disheveled Trip.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Bombs. Super soldiers. Maze,” he listed curtly. Ramona used her healing spell to heal Trip's worst injuries. Wouldn't want him to pass out from blood loss.

They stalked silently towards the room Maria was in after checking around that there was no potential assailants anywhere nearby.

The moment they entered the room, they recoiled abruptly as they witnessed the aftermath of the clash between the girls and what they would call a militia group. Wanda and Ramona gasped and widened their eyes at the battered bodies ridden with bullet holes and knife wounds scattered on the floor. Some even contorted in such weird angles. They could only imagine the violence that took place to have resulted in this. There was just too much blood. Suffice to say that it was a bloodbath.

They checked Maria out and found her drenched in blood they were sure not hers. She was too quiet.

“Maria?” Trip called her cautiously. She didn’t respond. In fact, she looked dazed, her eyes glazed over and they were certain that she was still lost in her own private hell. It took him a few tries before his presence was even acknowledged – barely. She whispered Trip’s name as he knelt next to her.

Trip scanned Natasha for injury. He also checked for her pulse. He sighed. After a while, he put his hand on Maria’s shoulder and squeezed gently, trying to get her attention. When that didn’t work out, he tilted her chin so that she looked up at him.

“Maria. It’s okay. She’s fine.”

“What?”

“Natasha is still alive. Just a few non-threatening GSWs, stab wounds and she probably hit her head pretty hard. That’s why she is unconscious.”

“But, there was no pulse.” Maria croaked her disbelief. She checked, many times.

“Her suit is pretty much bulletproof. They didn’t get through to vulnerable parts.” Trip said, assuring her.

“You can see her chest moves and feel her breathes.” Ramona added. She was attending to the redhead. The gypsy also brought Maria’s fingers to feel the beating of Natasha’s pulse. It was strong when it was non-existent not too long ago. Maria was sure of that.

It took her a while and plenty of reassurances from the others before Maria got her grip back and struggled to sit on her knees. Wanda immediately helped her and they tended to Natasha, preparing to bring her out to safety. They would go back to look for Daisy. As much as Wanda disliked delaying their search, she willingly followed the plan. Daisy could take care of herself and she’d be safe unlike the tragic one in the simulation. She had a full conviction in that. Stupid simulations be damned!

They were just about to leave when they felt the place shuddered. They had to leave the building now. Trip scooped Natasha carefully into his arms while Wanda helped Maria up. Ramona was making sure that they got a safe passage out of there. Just as they were moving towards the exit, they heard booted feet moving briskly on the other side of the door. Bracing themselves for another attack, the team drew a deep breath of relief when the person who emerged at the doorway was none other than Daisy Johnson.

“Daisy!” Wanda squealed happily. She wanted to fly into her arms but she patiently waited for Daisy to reach them as she was supporting Maria.

“Hey guys.” Daisy greeted them breezily as she jogged towards them. The team took in a breath of relief as all of them were now accounted for. Though it didn’t last for long as a blaring noise reverberated on the walls when Daisy was halfway towards them; the whole room lighted up and the world exploded. Wanda cursed for the umpteenth time that day. Apparently, this adventure had turned her into a potty mouth. 


	23. Back To The World Pool

“What the hell happened?”

“What’s wrong with them?”

“What did you do to them?”

“I sent them to hell.” The one wearing a pot on his head said dismissively.

“What?”

“You sent them to…”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t tell me that you have the power to open a portal to hell.”

“Bring them back.” Daisy growled. Her demeanor was absolutely steely.

“That’s not what my power does.” He said it rather smugly. “Besides, what’s to bring back? They are still here.”

“You’re messing with their minds.” Ramona concluded after a few heartbeats.

“What exactly did you do? Answer me Pot Man.” Daisy grabbed his collar, demanding coldly for an answer.

“My name is Forbush Man.” He said indignantly.

“I don’t care, both sound stupid anyway.” Daisy snapped. Anger could be clearly seen rolling off of her back like a string waiting to snap. Ramona pitied the poor guy. He didn’t know who he was messing with. It would not end well for him. Daisy in that mood meant less chance for her opponents to leave unscathed. There were a few incidents where some did not live to see another day.

He raised his hands. There was a bright light but nothing else happened.

“What was that?” Ramona was a little confused. “Did you just use your power?”

“That’s impossible! How come you guys are unaffected?” He yelled in bewilderment.

“Because your power is as stupid as your name.”

“Now tell us what you did to them before I blast your pot head off.”

“I simply show them their alternate lives.” Pot-man tried to say it arrogantly but they all could see that he was shaking in his boots. He was definitely terrified of Daisy’s murderous vibe.

Ramona witnessed her teammates and the Nextwave squad writhing on the ground, crying in despair, lost in nightmares, believing everything they were going through was real. It was not, as they were subjected to an imitation of alternate lives. Trip did mention this to her once while they were fighting the horde of dumb costumed broccoli men. When Pot-Man appeared, she was quite far from the rest of them and couldn’t warn them. She supposed that Trip was not fast enough to evade the mind assault to fall victim to it too despite him knowing about it.

They were careless then, underestimated their opponents just because they looked ridiculous. The consequences were not pretty. Now, most of them had succumbed to the power of one Forbush Man (admittedly, it was an absurd name like all the names given to the villains in that particular world). But still, mental torture was worse than anything physical for them. And they all had enough bad experiences that caused them emotional trauma. Adding this one into the mix was just plain cruel.

The only remaining heroes left standing were Daisy, Ramona, Red Skull and the blonde member of the Nextwave Squad. Not even the cyborg was spared from his power. Luckily, Ramona and Daisy were immune to any mind manipulation. Red Skull was not near them when the enemy released his power and the blonde – Tabby – according to the Forbush Man, was empty and he couldn’t find her mind to manipulate. That might answer her squad’s question on her intellectual capacity.

Ramona was running a dozen scenarios through her brain, trying to figure out the best way to deal with this situation. In the end, the four of them destroyed all of their opponents and the dratted Pot-Man.

Therefore, the others managed to wake sooner but the damage was already done. Maria and Natasha clung to each other once they woke, reassuring one another that they were okay; relieved that everything was not real. Trip was just glad that everyone was alive and no real bloodbath actually took place; though Ramona swore that she heard the man mumbled again and again how much he hated mazes and super soldiers.

Wanda clutched Daisy in a very tight embrace and whimpered how glad she was that Daisy was not dead and tried to shake away the massacre made by the ruthless version of herself. And that she believed that karma was paying her for what she had done with her power by witnessing Daisy’s death repetitively. She also recalled what she did to the Avengers way back when and she was swamped in overwhelming guilt again; corroborating her belief that it was her due punishment. It took them quite some time to reassure her that it no longer mattered as she was one of them now and everything she saw was not real.

The villains in the castle saw that their army of fake superheroes was destroyed and hightailed out of there. Our heroes were not going to let them got away that easily. So they chased after the villains but not before they had Daisy demolished the floating city.

Since Trip knew where their targets would go, they took some time to calm down and regroup before they ventured on their pursuit. The chase led them to State 51 (yes, not Area 51), which appeared to be the Beyond Corporation’s giant floating terror factory.

“Holy shit! That’s even bigger than a helicarrier.”

They were in awe. The thing was so big it could house a few helicarriers. However, they did not have the time to fully admire the factory because all of a sudden they found themselves under attack from H.A.T.E.’s Aeromarine that appeared under them. Things did not look good as their ride was hit. The cyborg managed to get them to a tunnel but they had to scurry out of the Shockwave Rider before it blew up. Not wasting any more time, they ventured toward the center of State 51 as Trip suggested, bashing and destroying all obstacles in their paths. There was no point of being discreet anymore because the enemy already knew they were there.

Their mission was held up by the CEO of Beyond Corporation whom they later discovered was a robot controlled by a small kid with an exceptionally huge head. The team started to consider that everyone from that company was non-human.

“A baby M.O.D.O.K.? This is not what I expected. I never even knew there was one.” Monica, the leader of the Nextwave Squad muttered in disbelief. 

“What the hell is a M.O.D.O.K?”

“A Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. There are female versions too. They were called M.O.D.A.M.s”

“And what does M.O.D.A.M. stand for?”

“Mental Organism Designed for Aggressive Maneuvers.”

“Apparently a M.O.D.O.K. and a M.O.D.A.M. had an affair that resulted in that one.” The squad’s team leader pointed toward the being inside the robot CEO.

For the S.H.I.E.L.D. team, the world in this comic just got weirder and weirder. Obviously, they were skeptical of this. But, who were they to question the nuttiness of this world. Their own world was as weird as it could get too.

They chased the baby M.O.D.O.K. only to witness him be blown up by a creature that shouldn’t be there. Yep. Things got weirder. They themselves couldn’t believe their own eyes. All this while, the world had been fed with false information about dinosaur extinction!

“Holy shit! They still have one of those?” Daisy was excitedly surprised. The thought to study him (which involved lab tests and dissection, among others) crossed her mind very quickly. “I bet Simmons would be overly glad to have her hands on him.” She saw Trip turned his head sharply to look at her incredulously. So, she added hastily that it was too bad they couldn’t bring him home.

“I never knew that there was a red T-Rex.” Maria murmured curiously.

“There wasn’t. This is a comic, remember?” Trip whispered. Thankfully, the Nextwave squad didn’t hear him.

“But, isn’t this a real world as well? It’s just not ours.” Wanda reminded them about the multiverse bit.

Trip conceded to that. “I guess this place is even weirder that our world.”

“Not as weird as a planet Ramona and I once visited. They also have large and weird creatures living along humanoid-like aliens, robots and the like. It is pretty common there.” Daisy shared a small part of their previous adventures in space.

“You guys went to space?” Their misfit allies were impressed.

“Yep.”

“There are strange space dwellers we met during our journey before. Remember the one that looked like a fish with limbs? Scared me shitless.” Natasha shuddered at that memory.

“Oh, I remember. Wasn’t that the guy who hit on you at that party we crashed?” Trip chuckled.

“What happened to him?” Maria asked. Her mouth curved upwards in amusement.

Ramona laughed. “She threatened him with bodily harm. No, wait. She did beat the shit out of him, and then kicked him into a giant chocolate fountain.”

Natasha snorted. “You would do that too if a fishy smelly fishman licked your hand.” The others couldn’t help but to laugh at that.

Meanwhile, the said Red T-Rex they hardly even gave a sidelong glance, stood before them conceitedly. Unfortunately for him, his presence was not that fascinating to those interlopers. They didn’t even look at him after the first time. This would not do. He would bring their attention back to him. He cleared his throat.

“I am Devil Dinosaur, the Intellect behind Beyond Corporation and S.I.L.E.N.T.” The red dinosaur introduced himself proudly, giving them a sideways glance while clutching a wine glass. He felt very elegant standing on the landing of the stairs in his very expensive suit and looking down his nose on them. However, the intruders simply ignored him in favor of talking among themselves. Who in the multiverse would disregard a being as awesome as him? Typical filthy humans. He harrumphed.

They eyed him like he was a small insignificant insect. That made him continued to spout all nonsense like a typical villain in comic books always did, but they did not even bother to listen. So, while the red prehistoric carnivore continued with his unnecessarily long banal litany, the team completely ignored him and plotted on how to end everything. Their blasé behavior only made him angrier.

“How dare you ignore me – the most intellectual being in the whole world for millions of years!?” And he continued throwing insults at them. Sadly for him, they didn’t even care.

“Pardon me. You must have mistaken me for someone who gives a damn.” Natasha dished out offhandedly.

“This is an insult! Your species were nothing millions of years ago and you are still nothing now!” He shouted irately.

“The things you just said, now that is what I term as insulting.” A member of the Nextwave squad pointed dryly.

“Besides, humans did not roam the earth millions of years ago. We’re a fairly new species. Better get your facts straight, buddy.”

“You people are beneath me.” The T-Rex sneered at them.

“You do realize that there was only one of you and many of us, right?”

“Or perhaps you are romanticizing yourself being this single living prehistoric creature that you believe we won’t harm?”

“You all are nothing. Humans are never going to be as great as me.” He added smugly.

“This guy really is delusional.” The cyborg said monotonously. The others agreed with him readily.

“Totally. Just look at him wearing a suit. Perhaps he thinks he looks fancy.”

“And he said we are beneath him when he himself wears human clothes. Isn’t that kinda degrading himself if we are so worthless in his eyes?”

“Yeah, besides, he just looks weird in it. Do you think his pants have a hole for his tail?”

“Do T-Rex have long tails? Because I don’t see one from this angle.” Wanda asked a member of the Nextwave Squad next to her. She really wanted to know. Paleontology really wasn’t her thing. No one answered her though because the ancient creature bellowed in rage right after she said that.

The aforementioned T-Rex was getting even angrier as the humans were ignoring him again and instead, they were judging his wardrobe.

“How dare you judge what I wear. You lowly people couldn’t even afford to buy this suit!”

“Dino boy, you don't get to be angry at people who judge you when you yourself are judgmental.”

“You, you imbecile lowlife twits!” the Devil Dinosaur roared.

“Dude, you just insulted yourself.” Daisy quipped.

“You know what? Let’s just finish this.” Maria said impatiently.

“Finish what?” The Devil Dinosaur took a few steps back. They prowled towards him menacingly. Some were even smiling as if causing the extinction of an ancient species was something entertaining. But they all agreed that trouncing this uptight red narcissist was kind of satisfying. “What are you doing?” He asked warily, totally feeling alarmed.

Following Trip’s instruction (because he knew everything that happened in that world), they effortlessly killed the red beast. It was more like the S.H.I.E.L.D. team just stood around while they watched the Nextwave Squad finished him off. It was their world after all. They got to vent their frustrations for everything that they had been subjected to.

It was very anti-climactic how easily they defeated the entire organization. It was a million times easier than dealing with Hydra. It also confirmed without a doubt that dinosaurs were now completely extinct. Later, they cleaned out the whole of State 51 of undesirable elements and the Nextwave Squad took over its operation, making it their new HQ.

~~~~####~~~~

“I can’t believe you read something like this. This series is ridiculous.”

“Hey, there is nothing wrong in reading something as weird as this. Reading comics is a form of escapism for me. Besides, there was nothing for me to do while being stationed at the space station for months when they were looking for Fitz.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, what now? You said this was the end of the comic. Why are we still here?” Maria directed the question at Trip.

“I don’t know. There is no new issue after this part.”

“Oh hell. Are we stuck here?”

“Where is the monster that took us here or the bubble when you need it?” Maria huffed.

“Well, I’m not going to lie. However uncomfortable those things were, they’re useful for transportation.”

“So, how are we going to get out of this darn world?”

“I don’t-”

Trip’s eyes widened and all of them were suddenly on edge especially when they heard a loud roar. Zeroing on the direction Trip’s sight was focused at, they swore loudly when they saw what was heading their way.

A freaking tornado!

Within seconds it reached them and with screams and shouts they reached to grasp each other’s hands as they were sucked into it. The swirl inside sent them upward towards the opening at the top of the natural disaster where they were hurled through a portal that was formed there. The next thing they realized was that they had landed back in the room where Nami and The Chronicler were waiting for them – while enjoying tea and cookies! The nerve of them.

~~~~####~~~~

Both otherworldly beings looked at the swirl of inks drifted up from the book.

“I supposed they’re back.”

“People don’t usually come back here. They go to other worlds from there.”

“Ah, but these are not usual people. They’re special.”

The swirl turned into drawings that later morphed into 3D designs and transformed into real beings.

“Welcome back.”

They were a bit disoriented. They disentangled their limbs from each other and stood up quickly. Each was checking the others for any injury from the tail of their eyes.

“What the hell was that?”

“Yeah, why did you send us into a book?”

“What is your penchant with dramatic transportation?”

“At least give us a warning.”

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” The Chronicler shrugged coolly, a grin plastered on her face the whole time. The seven sets of deadly glares aimed at her did not diminish her grin one bit. In fact, she smiled even wider. These terrans weren’t even scared to berate powerful people. Even those whose help they supposedly needed. No wonder Nami liked them so much.

“I see that you guys managed to come back in one piece.”

“If you expected any of us to be killed, then, you underestimated us.”

“Oh, I never did. I knew you could deal with everything in there. Did you enjoy your alternate lives?”

“They suck.” They spat the answer murderously while trying to hold themselves excellently in such an unaffected manner as though their alternate lives didn’t bother them one bit. Yet, she could tell that they were shaken by their experiences in that book. It was all in their breathing, tense muscles and the micro expressions on their profiles.

“Those alternate lives could really be yours if you failed. You do know that, right?” The lethal glares from the team intensified. However, The Chronicler didn’t find it intimidating at all. Then, she looked at Nami.

“You were right. They’re something else.” The spirit just smiled conspiratorially.

“Now, tell us about your experience in there. Who helped you through your jaunt in the book?”

Red Skull supplied helpfully. “A group of weird people. They’re called the Nextwave squad.”

“And we were against H.A.T.E.” Maria added dryly.

“What kind of agency named themselves H.A.T.E.?” Natasha still couldn’t get past that.

“Oh, let’s not forget a terrorist group called S.I.L.E.N.T. and all those weird characters.”

“Like Fin Fang Foom.” They all burst into laughter.

“The Mindless Ones from…where was it? The Dank Dimension?” The others nodded.

“Broccoli Men.”

“Eww, they smelled horrible!”

“Broccoli Men in superhero costumes.”

“M.O.D.O.K., M.O.D.A.M. and the red dinosaur.”

“That was a weird story. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with our quest.”

“Yeah, at least pick a better comic book.”

“I didn’t choose which book you’d go into. It was the only one opened near where you people stood.”

“What’s the point of sending us there?”

“No reason.” The Chronicler shrugged casually. The tip of her mouth curved upward a bit.

Seven pairs of eyes blinked confusingly before annoyance returned.

“Then, why sent us there anyway?” Maria asked directly. “It doesn’t make any sense in regard to Natasha’s situation. Especially the alternate lives simulations.”

“Especially simulations within simulations.” Wanda huffed angrily. She also couldn’t stop the slight shiver running through her body as she remembered how many times she lost Daisy in there. She relaxed when she felt the brunette brushed her hand lightly.

“Are you sure those were only simulations?” The grey-skinned woman asked, taunting playfully.

“I refuse to believe otherwise.” Wanda was still a little traumatized with what she had gone through. She was also tabling a theory Simulation Ramona told her. Was it possible? She would have to learn more about her power then.

“How does this help our quest?” Even the Red Skull found their comic book adventure questionable in getting Natasha’s freedom.

“And we do not get any intel on how to sever the threads. How does going into that book help us in freeing Natasha?”

“Was it your sick way of playing with us? Because Natasha still has all those threads on her.”

The bombardment of questions did not faze The Chronicler at all. In fact, she looked amused and seemed to enjoy their misery way too much.

“Did you work together with the Nextwave squad?”

“Yes.”

“Respecting each team’s boundaries and opinions?”

“Yes.”

“Supporting one another in live and death situations even when you were trapped in your minds?”

“Yes.”

Those questions were quickly answered and it was enough to satisfy The Chronicler.

“The test was to see whether you could work among yourselves and with strangers at the drop of a hat in saving the world and still be respectful even when you were thrust into an unknown situation or in this case - a different world, no matter how ridiculous and painful it was. Would you blast your way through mindlessly in order to return here or would you be mindful enough of the inhabitants of that particular world while completing your journey.”

“That was a test?” The Chronicler bobbed her head.

“Including the simulations?”

She just smiled.

“The simulations were not needed at all, weren’t they?”

“Forbush Man was just a character in that comic. It was just your awful luck to fall victims to his power.” She quipped cheerfully while the team groaned in annoyance. It was funny to see how the team went from showing no expression earlier to freely expressing their feelings after returning from the comic world. She supposed annoyance was a pretty strong feeling for humans.

“Did we pass?” Trip asked, totally resigned.

“Yes, you did. You persevered and were willing to do anything to free your friend while still being mindful of that world. You people showed loyalty, determination and integrity. Those are the qualities I cherish.”

The Chronicler then asked them who came up with the most ideas to save the day while they were in the comic book. All hands pointed to Trip. They were lucky that Trip was a comic otaku. Without his knowledge of the situations in the series no matter how absurd it was, they would not be back in this blasted room this quickly. She seemed pleased with that.

“I supposed I should reward you for the important part you played in there.” She snapped her finger and a red box with an intricate design on it appeared in the air and landed slowly in Trip’s hands.

“What is this?”

“Something for you to use whenever you see fit.”

“Umm, thank you.”

“So, how does this help Natasha?” All was well but they still had no idea how to free her from the essence of the stone.

“Oh, right. Come here.” The Chronicler beckoned Natasha to stand before her. She then put her finger on the redhead’s shoulder and made a slashing motion as though she was cutting the thread. A growing red light manifested within her palm before it faded to only a small ball of dim light at the tip of her index finger. She later walked towards Nami. Then, they watched as the spirit siphoned the red light from The Chronicler and stored it in the red stone on her headdress. The stone glowed like a light bulb and stayed on glowing.

“There you go. The thread to the Reality Stone is now severed.” The others were gaping at the simplicity of the process in severing the thread.

“Just like that?” Natasha asked incredulously.

“Yep. Just like that.” The Chronicler replied matter-of-factly.

“Seriously?” They were still feeling suspicious.

“You could cut off the thread that easily…” Maria hissed through gritted teeth.

“So, there was actually no need whatsoever for us to be sent into the book?”

The Chronicler didn’t even bother to grace them with an answer. She just grinned like a Cheshire cat. It was Nami who explained things to them.

“Well, to get the threads off of your friend, there are tests to determine whether you are worthy or not to be granted the freedom from the essence of the stones. In this scenario, The Chronicler of the Multiverses who guards the World Pool has all the authority to test you the way she sees fit because she is the proxy to the essence of the Reality gem. In other words, different essence demands different test or trial or sacrifice; and to cut off the threads, you need to succeed every single one of them. Only then would you earn the right to have the threads severed.”

Satisfied with the spirit’s clarification, the team relaxed a bit as they now knew what to do. Success was the word of the day. No matter what, they had to make it. They were now even more determined to finish this quest and returned home safely.

Ramona then pulled out her crystal globe and consulted it just to check that the red thread had indeed been severed. The others were waiting anxiously for a confirmation. When the gypsy bobbed her head and smiled, they knew that they were on the right track.

“I hate to cut the celebration short children, but it’s time we go to the next world.”

Nami chanted while brushing the purple stone twice and a heavy door you usually found at the entrance of medieval castles formed in the middle of the room. They thanked The Chronicler of the Multiverse and told her goodbye begrudgingly before stepping through the doorway to the world connected to the purple stone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nextwave comic series actually exist. It’s weird and full of all sorts of undertones. A fun read nonetheless.


	24. Obstacle Course From Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They leave the World Pool (a world connected to the Reality Stone) and go to another world.

Leaving the infuriating Chronicler of the Multiverse behind, they stepped into an ancient looking stone door perfectly decorated with creepers that used its frame as a trellis and a weird symbol etched on it – a gateway to another world – after a full minute of them pushing it open because the blasted door was so bloody heavy.

They suspected that Nami found it amusing to see them exerted some energy unnecessarily when she could have just commanded it to open. In fact, they believed that the spirit might have been the cause of the door being heavy. The short time they spent with her alluded to them that she loved toying with the team.

They had no idea what was waiting for them on the other side of the massive entrance. The team braced themselves for any surprise that might come their way. Like the time when they entered the World Pool, Nami took charge. She crossed the threshold and the rest followed her, waving goodbye to the Chronicler.

What awaited them beyond the threshold was a long winded tunnel. It took them about 30 minutes before they reached the end of it. On the other side of this next door was another tunnel and they found out that it was going to be a long one too. And then another doorway and another tunnel.

The third one was the longest. They also realized that each tunnel led them downwards. They were probably going further and further underground. That did not bode well. Most things under the ground were not.

After an eternity in small, cramped and stale-aired tunnels, they reached the exit. And as it seemed to be the theme for this place, this one was extra heavy too. When it was finally opened, they came to an empty octagonal room. There were seven doors leading out of that space minus the one they came from. Nami suggested that each of them went through a different entrance. The team was having none of that.

“We are not splitting up.” Trip stressed the point. The others agreed readily. They didn’t want a repeat of the experience they had in their alternate lives not too long ago.

Nami smirked subtly. “Okay. So, which door should we open?”

They were looking at each other, conversing non-verbally to the amusement of the spirit. There were just too many doors. Apparently, they took too long to come to a decision that Nami suggested a door nearest to her right. The team immediately rejected her idea. Who knew what the spirit planned. She might lead them to danger as she seemed to enjoy witnessing their misery.

“Very well. Then, choose which door you wish to enter.” She said graciously and a little mockingly at the same time.

The team had trouble in choosing their next path. Daisy just wanted to choose any of the doors and got it over with. Wanda would just follow wherever Daisy chose to go. Natasha and Maria said it was better to follow Nami because if anything bad happened, then, they could blame her.

Since they couldn’t reach an agreement, Ramona sarcastically suggested a game of chance by tossing a stick and followed the direction it pointed. Red Skull was not participating in the debate because he was just tagging along and he would follow the masses.

And Trip, he would always think too much and a little too cautious – a lot more than Maria who had always been too meticulous on mission details. He was the voice of reason within the team. He was also the reason they were at an impasse right this moment. In hindsight, he would also be the reason they would remember their journey to this next world, presumably forever.

The discussion was going nowhere. So, they asked Ramona to consult her trusty magical crystal globe for the right choice, which sort of baffled her. It was just a door. Did they really have to resort to magical means? Nevertheless, the gypsy abided their request and it seemed that the magical realm chose the same door Nami pointed earlier. And the spirit was very smug with that.

Believing that Nami might have tampered with the magic, they asked Ramona to do it again. The second time they got an answer, it was the same as the previous one. And Nami’s smugness increased to the chagrin of everyone else. Still the team refused to believe it.

So, they did it for the third time for the sake of hanging on to the ‘third time’s the charm’ saying. It was revealed that this time around, they were led to a different door. So, obviously they chose that one. And off they went to open the yet again another heavy door.

They walked cautiously along a dark hallway, illuminated with plenty of burning torches on its stone walls. 50 meters later, it branched out into two paths. This time, the discussion didn’t take as long as before. Nami suggested the one on the right. Obviously, the team would not simply follow her recommendation especially when she smirked gleefully.

She knows her team especially Trip, Wanda and sometimes Maria would debate which way to go. And they did not have the time for that. Therefore, to come to a swift decision, Daisy flipped a coin. She just wanted to get out under the sun again. It had been hours since they last saw the outside world.

“Head, we take the right one. Tail – left.”

They got head. So, they went onward to the left. There was no way they’d simply follow Nami’s suggestion. Daisy was bewildered with her team’s behavior. Why the sudden distrust towards the spirit when they already followed her to two worlds? It was probably the coy look on her face. She always looked like that, but now it was a lot more than before. It was understandable if the team was wary of her. However, the Inhuman got a feeling that they would regret not following Nami’s proposition.

After a while of traipsing a long stretch of dimmed hallway, they passed an archway. They went downwards. That was when things got a little exciting, in a run-for-your-life kind of exciting, like literally.

First, the walls moved, blocking their way for a while. And then a new path appeared not long after their first round of freak out moments that day sank fully in. They had no other choice but to forge on the new pathway. It happened a few times. This went on for a while until they reached a slightly bigger corridor.

It did not take them a long time to realize that the walls started closing in on them and they began running. Soon, they reached a junction at the end of the corridor. Naturally, they would discuss or gamble on which way to choose but this time around the choice was taken from their hands. There was a rumble; a sound unmistakably like large boulders rolling down the stony ground headed their way from one of the paths. Hence, they were forced to go into the other one.

They ran for such a long time until they had to stop abruptly at the end of the track or they would fall into a huge, bottomless pit that greeted them. There was nothing connecting its two sides. Panting heavily, they frantically searched for a way to cross the hole. There was nothing except a few sturdy, long vines hanging from the roof of their cave-like soon-to-be gravesite if they failed to get out.

“Those vines! Use them to swing to the other side.” Maria urged, a little panicked because the rolling stones were already visible from their position.

They managed to cross over just in time and watched a dozen or so large boulders rolling down into the dark abyss. Everyone was lying on the ground, wide-eyed and catching their breaths.

“You know,” Natasha puffed. “I wonder why you guys didn’t use your powers? You can easily cross that pit.” she breathed heavily.

“I panicked.” Wanda wheezed. “I didn’t even think about it.”

“Same.” Daisy and Ramona agreed.

“Unlike Nami.” Maria said with a rather dry tone. The spirit just grinned.

“I remember to use my ability.” She said cheerfully. The others just rolled their eyes.

This other side was a pretty big flat expanse. They decided to rest for a while since they were on a safe ground. At least they believed so. So far, nothing happened. Yet.

Later, they walked for a while on the only path existed there before someone stepped on something they shouldn’t. There was a prolonged repetitive cracking sound and the floors started disappearing in chunks.

So they ran and jumped; trying to find purchase for their feet. When it looked as though the ground’s disappearance rate was escalating, Daisy, Wanda and Ramona used their powers to get the rest of them to safety – floating all the way or in Daisy’s case, using her power to jump on the remaining chunks of the stony floor – while Nami simply hovered leisurely.

“Cool. You guys remember to use your abilities.” The spirit chirped happily. They didn’t even have a comeback for that as they were too busy catching their breaths and calming down their heart rates.

After a while, they got back up and started moving again. Their only option was to move forward. There was no way they could go back to where they started. They had gone too far from the entrance. On top of that, it was not possible at all to retrace their steps considering what had happened to the floors and the walls.

Less than half an hour later, they arrived at a bright room with a high ceiling. The room was empty except for a few arts pieces hanging on its walls. There was a hatch on the other side of the room. There must be something big behind it as they could see the wheel one needed to turn to unlock the access.

They stalked to the door cautiously, not wanting to trigger any booby traps or unknown danger. Anything was possible now. It wasn’t long before something did happen. They were not even halfway down the room. Expletives were thrown around when they were attacked from above.

Running and evading the spears and arrows coming from the ceiling was not something they were used to nor would they enjoy it. But to come out of the torrential sharp thingies determined to find purchase on their bodies, if possible unscathed, was a must.

“Can’t you guys do something about this?” Maria asked to no one in particular.

“Right.” Daisy grunted as she sent a few spears away from hitting her. Then, she addressed Wanda to form a barrier around them. Now that they were safe from harm, the team ran towards the exit in record time.

Opening the hatch took a little longer than they thought. One of the arrows managed to land too near to their legs. So, the Scarlet Witch increased the size of the barrier to envelop them whole. Daisy took that opportunity to quake those archaic weapons to dust, leaving them clear for the first time since the attack began.

But it didn’t take long for another round of bombardment to start. Just as they were about to be rained down with a new set of attack, Trip opened the door and they all rushed in to get away from the onslaught of spears and arrows.

“What kind of place is this?”

“I don’t see any door.”

Apparently, they arrived at an areaway – a sunken enclosure that went a little deeper underground. There was no exit except up. It looked like a well or a mine shaft, just a bit wider in diameter.

“Great! Now what?”

“I can see footholds on the walls. Are we supposed to climb up there?”

Impatient, Daisy grabbed Trip and sent them both upwards, causing a slight shudder in the ground. They heard someone shouted, probably Wanda, telling them to watch out. They landed safely and urged the others to do the same.

“It’s not safe!” Maria yelled. She and the others had moved back a few steps out of the areaway but still visible to the pair up there. When she saw that Trip and Daisy were confused, she added that there were laser grids all over the place once they were within the areaway. The two of them were very lucky that they were faster than those radiation beams.

So, Daisy told them to stand back and concentrated in finding the source of the lasers. There were a few of them. Once she was locked on the frequency, she used her power and destroyed everything that emitted the deadly rays.

After they made sure that there was no more danger, Daisy told them to come up. So, Nami graciously picked Red Skull up. Ramona had Maria and Natasha while Wanda erected a barrier around them just as a precaution should there were any hidden traps they didn’t anticipate; and up they all went.

They continued on through a short passage without any mishap. Thank goodness for a small mercy, or so they thought. Once they were out of the path, they walked tiredly till they reached an area where a stone wall suddenly dropped down behind them. Immediately after that, sharp large panels came in and out from the walls. So, they ran, trying to evade from being chopped in half.

All these obstacles were getting to Daisy’s nerve. She was tired and hungry. She just wanted to get out and eat and rest. So, without a second thought, she simply eliminated all of those moving wall panels. They should have just agreed with Nami since the start. It may not be as bad as the path they had chosen.

The next obstacle they faced was a narrow indoor field of landmines. Since Daisy’s tummy growled loudly that everybody could clearly hear, the team kept quiet when she recklessly quaked all those explosive devices apart even at the risk of having the place collapsed. You just did not mess with a hungry, impatient Quake. Besides, the faster they could get out, the better.

That action caused the ground they stood on to open up and swallow them whole – literally. It was a long drop full of screams and obscene four-letter words. They ended up in a deep stream. They were swept away pretty rapidly with its strong current. No power or ability could lift them out of the water when all they could do was trying to stay above said water. It was an uphill battle. So, they simply let themselves be dragged by the current to save the energy that would be undoubtedly needed later. And later came soon enough.

“Is that a fucking waterfall!?” Somebody’s incredulous exclamation could be heard in the frenzy. Granted that the sound was distorted as they were buoyed sometimes above and some other times under the water.

Great! What else did they have yet to face today? Right. Falling down a freaking waterfall. Yep. Their day had just getting better – in reverse. This whole damned place was like an obstacle course from hell.

The water spat them out into an underground pool/pond or something. They didn’t bother to determine what it was. Getting out of it was a top priority. So, they swam to the shore where they sighted copious of staggered small stone platforms, forming a jagged rocky staircase-like structure that led to a door high up above them.

A little excited at seeing a door, the team hopped on those platforms and made their way upwards, hoping that door would be the exit from there. It seemed to be an easy thing to do. It was indeed if one discounted the steps that kept on moving up and down the whole time. And then the hopeful very long jump from the uppermost platform towards the landing in front of the door. Luckily, they were very athletic and have extra abilities.

With a prayer to whatever deities there were in that world, they pushed the door open in hope and apprehension and sighed in relief. They stumbled out of the danger ridden passageway extremely rumpled and worse for wear.

“Oh, where did you people come from?” A man asked, surprised.

“From beyond that door.” Nami answered calmly as if the half day, perhaps more, that they spent trying to stay alive all through their ‘dungeons and dragons’ adventure (how fortunate of them that there were no actual dragons involved) didn’t even ruffle her composure. Maybe it didn’t because she looked fine as hell unlike the rest of them. Disheveled and in need of some cleaning and sustenance, the irritated seven reluctant adventurers eyed the spirit enviously.

After a while, the man left and the team wandered around the place. It was a massive area – within a structure that was designed a little like a combination of a stadium and a colosseum. There was a huge stage in the middle of it. On the farther side of the place, they could see a few platforms at different heights dominating that section. At the other end of the area was a barren patch of rocky land, which they found totally weird.

“Where are we?”

“This must be the Arena.” Ramona said. She gestures to Nami, “you brushed the Power stone before the door appeared.”

Nami nodded. “It is indeed.”

The Arena was a realm of eternal contests and champions. An otherworldly proving ground for creation’s most robust combatants. Their only purpose was to defeat the ruler of the place.

Now, all they needed to do was find the proxy of the Power Stone’s essence and asks them to sever the thread on Natasha. Although that was easier said than done.

They took a look around, measuring the level of threats they might face – much likely very high. There were so many fighters and they all looked very strong. They might face a harder challenge here. However, that was something they’d come to later.

For now, they needed to find a washroom. The least they should do now was getting themselves presentable. Oh, and food. Getting out of those death traps used up a lot of energy. Energy they needed to recharge considering the place they were currently at. It was just a matter of time before they'd be involved in some sort of brawl in The Arena. With their luck and perhaps controversial reputation, it was possible they might only have a significantly brief window of peaceful time. 


	25. Of Brains and Brawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is at The Arena – the world connected to the Power Stone. To get what they want, they have to use both their brains and brawn. Even when they have to incorporate an infernal but useful frenemy in their roster.

“My, my. If it isn’t the Destroyer of Worlds and her sidekicks.” A nasal voice reached their ears and they were instantly on guard.

A wiry purple-haired man with a page boy haircut greeted them. Wearing a yellow turtleneck, a pair of dark baggy pants and a cape with a pair of light purple gloves and tan travelling boots completed his attire; he looked harmless. Though the team was experienced enough to know that looks could be deceiving.

“What are you doing here?” They couldn’t believe that out of all places, they would meet him here. The sneaky priest who always smiled and never opened his eyes. They never knew the reason why. Though with what they knew about him, that body was not real. It was just an illusion. He could definitely see with his eyes closed. In fact, he didn’t even need eyes.

The team eyed the newcomer warily while he simply smiled, at the same time cataloguing them. They were certain of that. Even with his eyes shut, Daisy could tell that he and Nami studied each other carefully. She supposed powerful beings recognized one another instinctively.

“Everyone, this is Xellos. We met a while ago.” Daisy decided to be polite and introduced him to the team.

Beastmaster Xellos Metallium – one of the highest ranking powers among his people was someone Daisy, Ramona and Trip encountered on one of their adventures. Their relationship was amicable at best. Partners only when it benefited them. But that didn’t mean they were best of pals. They tried not to be on opposite sides – with their powers and strength; that would be disastrous. If they ever be enemies, it would just be a pain in the ass. Both parties were not small fries. Daisy hoped that they had mutual objectives here.

“I saw the footage of your journey through those tunnels.” Xellos started.

“There are cameras?” They were surprised. Not that they had any seconds to spare looking for cameras while trying to stay alive.

“Of course. What? You didn’t think they’d put those in there?” He mocked gleefully.

His observation was definitely not appreciated. The team just groaned inwardly and rolled their eyes.

“I’ve gotta say that you guys took the one less ventured, which is also the hardest instead of taking the easiest route.” He smiled, eyes closed all the time.

“And this easier route, which one is it?”

“Now, that is a secret.”

“Xellos.” Daisy growled. She seemed displeased with his answer, or lack thereof.

This was exactly why they didn’t want to deal with him. His first answer would always be ‘a secret’. They knew that with his position, there were tons of information he retained in his head that weren’t meant for those with faint hearts to know. But definitely not in this case. After a lot of nagging, hair pulling, bribery and threats, he finally relented. They bet he got a full stomach feeding on their negative emotions.

“You should have entered the first door your friend suggested.” He said cheerfully. “It’d lead you straight here.” His grin was wide enough that they wanted to hit him.

“Is that true?” Trip asked Nami. “Would that door really bring us straight here?”

“Indeed.” The spirit answered smugly.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I did point out the door to you.” Nami shrugged carelessly.

The team was miffed with themselves. They moaned the hours they unnecessarily spent evading death when they could get right to this place easily. How were they supposed to know that the spirit didn’t trick them? Although, as far as Daisy remembered, she had never tricked them out right before. Why would some of them think that she'd do that? The Inhuman knew that they would regret dismissing Nami’s suggestions. Why didn’t she insist on just headed to wherever the spirit pointed since they entered the tunnel?

“Although I would say, it was really fun to see you struggled. The emotions you people emitted were really delicious. I’m full just by watching it on screen.” The priest added chirpily.

“And how the heck did you manage to watch the footage?” Daisy was curious.

“I have my way.” That was a vague answer coming from the purple-haired priest.

“You were hiding in the shadows, weren’t you?” Ramona deduced. But when she saw his smile got wider, she amended, “No, not the shadows. You were hiding in the astral plane.”

“Hmm, it seems that you’re getting wiser in your old age, Miss Ramona.” The playful taunt somehow got to the gypsy as her eyes narrowed and stared dagger at him. It wasn’t long, but they were certain that the priest could taste Ramona’s emotion and enjoyed it immensely before she masked her annoyance and regained her composure.

“Not as old as you. Compared to me, you’re ancient. And yet, your attitude is as childish as ever.” Xellos’ smile faltered just a tad at that retort before it came back at its full wattage.

“What are you doing here anyway?” Trip asked him distrustfully. It also broke the tense atmosphere between the two beings.

“What I’m doing here is a secret.” He grinned. The trio who knew him just rolled their eyes. They remembered how difficult it had always been to get a direct and/or correct answer from him.

“Did your mistress send you here?”

“Now, you know I can’t tell you that.”

“Is this somewhere in your world?”

“No.”

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“So you go off world. Why here? What are you after?” Ramona asked him suspiciously.

“Now, now, Miss Ramona. I’d rather not disclose that information. Besides, why do you always assume the worst?”

“Because wherever you go, or whatever you do, it is always a mission that usually ends in chaos.”

“I’ll have you know that those chaotic situations are usually not of my making.” The priest denied their accusation. The infuriating man was still smiling.

“But you plant the seeds and watch from afar, because that’s what you enjoy the most.” Daisy retorted dryly. And the man just grinned. It was getting really annoying.

“So, it’s either to stir troubles or you’re looking for something and then, you’d let someone else takes the fall.”

“Well, I have my reasons. And this place is beyond anywhere I’ve been to. Never thought I’d meet some familiar faces here.”

“You’re here on mission then.” Daisy concluded.

“I would not confirm nor deny that.” He replied.

“Do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t get in our ways.” Daisy said eventually after a minute spent eyeing him calculatingly. The priest raised an eyebrow. So, Daisy emphasized on the importance of him not meddling in their affairs. “Or you’ll be sorry you ever saw us here.”

“Okay.” The beast priest said cheerfully.

“I mean it Xellos. We have been through enough shits already. We don’t need one more or I’ll send your ass into oblivion your mistress would be sorry to have you as her second in command.” Her tone was deceptively casual and dry but everybody could hear the threatening undertone.

Nami was quite surprised to hear Daisy spoke in such a menacing though very subtle intonation to a very powerful being. She was not going to lie. She knew that this Xellos was immensely powerful. To witness Daisy, Ramona and Trip acted the way they did towards him as if he was just a nuisance and not someone to fear was refreshing. Well, no wonder this group didn’t fear her despite knowing who she was and what she could do. Or at least she suspected that the Inhuman and the gypsy knew. And that deepened her belief that this group was really something. A very interesting team indeed.

Once both parties agreed on a truce – not that there was any hostile confrontation to begin with – they walked around the place, trying to stake out the probable combat zone for the person they believed could sever one of the threads that bound Natasha to the remnants of the Infinity Stones.

They weren’t surprise to see that Xellos decided to hang around them. If they were honest, that might be better than having him doing whatever secret mission he was sent for and therefore might result in ruining theirs. They would not put that beyond him. He was after all known as the mischievous priest in his world and his exploits surpassed even those of Loki’s – and Loki was the God of Mischief. It was best having your frenemy close, which might come in handy when certain circumstances occurred.

While they were silently perusing the Arena for their possible target, a loud voice disturbed their moment of tranquility.

“Lost, weaklings?”

Oh, that was just demeaning. A huge, overly muscled man with long, curly blonde hair wearing only a loincloth and a toga held up by a large belt smirked at them disparagingly.

“Who are you?” Xellos asked curiously.

“Name’s Dynamus – a power far greater than you. The question is who are you?” He directed the question towards their new friend.

“Dynamus? That name meant nothing to me. Who I am is a secret.” Xellos deadpanned. The others just blinked. Did he just say his name was a secret? What the heck? Daisy and Ramona just rolled their eyes. The short time they knew him, they heard that phrase more times than they could remember.

The big man actually faltered a bit at that answer before he regained his cool and demanded the dark clad man his name again.

“Very well. If you insist.” He trailed just for the sake of being dramatic and also to needle Dynamus who started to become impatient.

“I am a mazoku from a world in the Sea of Chaos.” Xellos said apathetically, smiling all the way. They were sure he got the joy from ruffling Dynamus’ feathers. Negative emotions were like food to him.

“Hmm. Never heard of it. Know then, _mazoku_ , you should treat me with more respect. Before you, stands the most powerful being in existence – the living embodiment of the Power Cosmic! I’m sure you heard of that, yes?”

The team stiffened at that. So, that must be the one they should talk to. Great. They had to ask this arrogant asshole to sever the thread on Natasha. This may go easy or difficult as hell considering his condescending attitude.

“I rule this realm. An eternal champion in an arena where power is all. But fear not. A creature of your paltry strength holds little interest for me at the moment. The ones you brought with you however, they managed to bypass my most deadly passageway no other souls ever made it out. I want a piece of them!” Dynamus declared proudly in his booming voice.

“Xellos – a weakling?” Trip whispered to the others.

“He must not know who you really are.” Daisy said to their newest companion. If only the blonde knew his history. They only heard little snippets of it, but those were impressive enough that they would never want to be against him. The mazoku just smiled, Daisy was sure pretty condescendingly towards Dynamus.

“I would know more about these creatures. Tell me everything, now!” The ruler of the arena demanded.

“I don’t take well to demands.” Xellos frowned a little before his smile resumed.

“And I’m not in the habit of asking twice.” Dynamus growled.

The mazoku actually made the muscled blonde waited for a while before he answered him. He must have enjoyed it so much to prolong this conversation with him.

“Well, since you asked _nicely,_ I guess I should answer your question." He paused deliberately, for the sake of being dramatic and annoying as hell. They could see Blondie was getting disgruntled. "My companions are not from here,” he stated patronizingly as if it should have been obvious to anyone.

From the tail of her eyes, Ramona could see that Trip just face palmed himself and shaking his head all the while trying to suppress his laughter. The others also tried to remain unaffected but she could see barely there smiles on their faces. Trust Xellos to irritate and make fun of others no matter the situation.

“They’re from Earth.” The priest added indifferently when pumping bulged veins could be seen clearly on the irate Dynamus’s head and throat.

“Earth? No one from there ever stepped foot here at the Arena.”

“We’re the lucky firsts then.” Daisy chimed in.

“Then, you people are lucky to meet me. I demand that you all join the tournament.”

Maria grimaced a bit when his voice got louder than ever. Must he shout every time he spoke? She wondered that maybe he had hearing problem.

“That’s not why we are here.” Maria was not in the mood to participate in any martial arts competition. She just wants this blonde guy to free Natasha from the thread. If he really was the person they should be looking for.

“So, why are you here?”

“Just now you said Power Cosmic.” Natasha addressed the blonde.

“Yes.”

“What does that mean?” Red Skull asked. He was really curious.

“It means that I am the strongest here.” He was so self-assured.

“Really? How strong?” Wanda asked skeptically.

“No one ever beat me before in a fight.” He proudly stated.

“Anything to do with powerful artifacts?” Ramona was fishing for confirmation.

“I have always been strong.” He deflected from answering.

“Really? We know for a fact that you have something to amplify your strength.”

“Like a stone or rather its essence.”

“You know about the stone.” Dynamus uttered softly.

They just raised their eyebrows at that. He must be very surprised to mutter under his breath.

“How did you know about that?” Now, it was Dynamus who was curious.

“Tell us Dynamus, are you the embodiment of the Power Stone?”

After much deflection to their imposition, he relented and admitted that he was the embodiment of the Power Stone. Not that the inquisition was really needed. He did mention that he was the embodiment of the Power Cosmic. They just wanted to be certain that it meant the same as the Power Stone.

So, they told him about the thread and Dynamus only agreed to grant their request if they’d face him on stage after they won the tournament. He just wanted to see them fight. He seemed smug as if he had already written them off the list of potential competitors despite being amazed with what they’d accomplished just to get there.

Great, not only they had to fight The Power Cosmic, they had to go through the normal channel to get to fight him. That meant a lot of bashing and kicking asses. Couldn’t they get the thread severed without having to fight?

Sighing in resignation, they moved towards the registration area. If participating in a tournament full of the most robust combatants from different universes was something they had to do, then so be it. They would fight and no matter what the cost, they would win.

Near the registration desk, they met a small group of contestants who seemed to be nicer than the others they met so far and struck up a conversation, unwillingly. They mentioned the tunnels they passed through in order to reach the Arena.

“What tunnels?” One of the contestants was puzzled.

“The tunnel to get to this arena.” Red Skull provided patiently.

“We didn’t go through any tunnel. We came straight here.” The man clarified.

“Oh, maybe it’s because we come from different places.” Trip suggested the possibility.

“I supposed that must be it. Although we never heard of any tunnels.” The man shrugged. “Well then, I better go. It is almost my turn. Nice meeting you guys.” Then, the man and his friends left to get ready for the tournament, leaving the team to contemplate that information.

“She can conjure a door directly to The Arena.” Wanda deduced. She stared dagger at Nami. Oh, if only looks could kill. 

Ramona chuckled sardonically. “I’m not surprised. It’s Nami. She has been toying with us since the moment she appeared.”

“A spirit or not, she is related to the stones’ original entity which was a cosmic being. And cosmic beings are like that. Well, mostly. At least the ones I’ve encountered.” Daisy explained the reality of powerful beings to the team. Not that they didn’t know it. They practically lived among powered people and battled similar enemies on more occasions than they liked or comfortable with.

“Probably because they have so much time on their hands.” Natasha supplied dryly.

“And the power to wield against their opponents should they become hostile.” Maria added. The others nodded in agreement.

That was not to say that non-cosmic beings wouldn’t act like that too. Take Xellos and his people for example. Their main job was being a menace to all living things. Making fun of others and toying with their feelings. The darker the feelings, the more they could consume as the mazoku was a race that thrived on people’s emotions. Given their situation, the Beastmaster would surely have a full stomach the whole time.

They found out that it was a team tournament. Six members per team. They registered and dragged Xellos in on their team roster since he would stick with them for however long they’d be there. Though he could be infuriating at times, right now having him on their side was reassuring. Later, they went to grab some food and a few rooms to sleep in for the night as the tournament would only start tomorrow.

After breakfast the next day, they entered the first stage of the tournament. Each stage required them to fight a few rounds depending on the number of teams in the group they were placed in. There were five other teams in their group. For every round, each team could choose to have the same fighters who had won to continue fighting the next opponent or they could send a different member. Obviously, the SHIELD team chose the former as per their discussion the night prior.

~~~~####~~~~

**The night before at dinner.**

_“Since we can have a fighter to continue fighting until all opponents are eliminated for the round, I suggest we try that if we can. Let’s not broadcast what we can really do unless we have to.”_

_“I agree. Besides, we don’t know what these people are capable of.”_

_“Yeah, whether they only used brute force or powers or a combination of both.”_

_“And we don’t know how good they are in planning strategies.”_

_“I supposed that most of them would simply use their bodily strength, at least during the first stage.”_

_“And since we are new and unknown in The Arena, some of them might underestimate us.”_

_“Which is going be our advantage.”_

_“But if we send only one of us for every round, and let’s say that we defeat them like that every time, they’ll think we’re strong. Wouldn’t that make the next team more careful when fighting us?”_

_“True. So, we’ll act as though the one who goes in the ring is because they draw the short stick. Not because we’re strong.”_

_“Are we?” Trip asked._

_The others tilted their head towards him._

_“We have our advantages.” Daisy shrugged._

_“We just don’t know theirs.” Ramona cautioned them, to which Red Skull added, “I’m sure there are some who have powers.”_

_“Very likely. I guess we need to be tricky then.”_

_“Well, since one of the rules to not lose is to stay on the stage, all we have to do is kick them off of it as fast as we can.” Xellos interjected._

_“And when that doesn’t work, we can knock them out or make them surrender the fight.” Wanda said that casually._

_“Okay. Then, that’s set. Now, we just need to gather some intel about the other contestants.”_

_“That has been taken care of.” A familiar voice joined their discussion. The team turned to that voice as the second one said, “we just got back from a little recon.”_

_They saw Maria and Natasha grinning proudly at them. Well, now that was pretty awesome that the couple anticipated what they needed to do. They saw a smiling Nami behind those two. She seemed happy with what they’d accomplished._

_“Well, we checked on three teams and they are mostly overly muscled men.” Maria started. “This is their second time joining the tournament.”_

_Then Natasha added, “According to some spectators who watched their fights in the previous edition, they are a bunch of proud people who believe that brute force is what’s important to win a fight. Ergo, no strategy except to ram their fists onto their opponents.”_

_“Mmm, those teams may not pose any problem. I hope.”_

_“They won’t.” Nami interjected. That made eight heads turned her way. Satisfied that she has their attention now, Nami continued. “The first and the last team might be a bit difficult, just because on paper, they are veterans in this tournament. They never missed a single one for the last 10 editions. And both teams always qualified to the elimination rounds.”_

_“Ah, that could pose a problem to our plan.”_

_“Did you find out anything else about them? Any powers or abilities?”_

_“The upside is they never showcased such things, but who knows? Maybe this time around they have something new up their sleeves.”_

_“And the downside?”_

_“They are pretty strong. Expert martial artists, level-headed unless provoked and always have the upper hands except when they went against people with powers.”_

_“We don’t want anyone to know that we have powers at least until we fight Dynamus.”_

_“So, we provoke them till they lose their composure and thus, throwing their strategy out of their minds.”_

_“That’s one way to deal with them.” Nami liked their plan. It was unconventional, much like the team itself._

_“But, who do we send against them?” Red Skull asked curiously._

_“Well, that’s easy. The best candidates would be Xellos and Daisy.” Ramona suggested matter-of-factly. Then, she turned towards Daisy. “You have higher durability and those fighting skills.” Then, she added dryly, “and Xellos could just annoy them till they lose their cool and attack mindlessly.”_

_“Or I could just poke them to get them off the stage.” The mazoku quipped merrily._

_“You could do that?” Red Skull was intrigued._

_“Yep.” Xellos grinned mischievously. The others just rolled their eyes, but not without curiosity. Despite the mutual adventure they had with the priest, Daisy, Trip and Ramona never saw him unleashed his full abilities. They didn’t even know what his power really was. He told them that his specialty was Dark Magic that he called upon it from the Mazoku Overlords. However, there was a piece of historical evidence from his world that told them the priest was capable of wiping out an entire army with just a finger._

_“Alright. So, we’ll start with Xellos. Then, Red Skull, Wanda and Ramona. I will fight the last team. Trip, you’ll sit out for this round. Go mingle and gather intel on the other teams.” Daisy suggested to the rest. Everyone agreed with their turns to be on the stage when the tournament officially began the next day._

_“We’ll do that too.” Natasha proposed. “Among other things,” she added quietly. Maria raised one eyebrow at her. The redhead only answered with a smile and a conspiratorial sparkle in her eyes, which did not go unnoticed by Daisy and Nami._

_“Whatever your wicked plan is, if it’s profitable, count me in.” Daisy winked as she bid them good night._

_And so, the nine off-world travellers retreated to their respective rooms for the night._

~~~~####~~~~

Since they were unknown and therefore the underdogs, they got no privilege and had to fight many opponents on that first day. Other groups had fewer teams. Obviously, they were underestimated. Besides, the other participants looked down on them and simply dismissed the idea that they’d be able to beat all those muscles. Thus, making it easier for the team to defeat them. And what a surprise they handed to the other fighters when they won swiftly in every single fight.

They didn’t have to use their powers against these contestants. They didn’t have to use a lot of energy too. Just a few tricks and they’d have them thrown out of the stage or knocked out on the floor or forced them to surrender. These people might be the most robust warriors but they mainly used their bodily strength while the team used their brains more than their brawn. Brute force would never win against the five of them.

Despite the boast that this place was full with the strongest beings the universes allegedly had to offer, they breezed through the first stage pretty easily. Using the rules of three wins per team out of five matches in each round, they sailed through to the top position of their group without even breaking a sweat. Having beaten other teams seamlessly – they only needed one of them to win each round, making them the only team to have won without changing their fighters every so often – made others look at them differently.

By the end of the second stage on the next day, where they won again, people were talking about their prowess. Some combatants believed that they were just lucky. Others believed that it was a combination of both. The team knew that it was all that plus the cockiness and stupidity of their opponents. Using only burliness was such an amateurish move.

The team used their vast armoury of skills; their fighting strategy was born out of their amazing minds (they did have Maria who was a master tactician on their team after all; plus Xellos who was not only a priest but also a general who had fought in a couple of war campaigns) and executed through their battle-hardened physiques.

When they won the third stage, the spectators started to look forward to their next fights. In fact, there was a betting pot set up that wagered on them winning the tournament. How did that even start, the team didn’t have to look far.

Apparently, due to being uninvolved in the tournament, Nami, Natasha and Maria who were bored and had full confidence in the others’ combat abilities, set up those bets. It was also their way of gathering intels on the other participants. As the team was new, and the trio and Daisy were the only ones who betted in favour of their team; they ended up winning a considerable sum of fortune.

For the next two stages, the rest of the team also joined in on the bet and won a lot as they were one amongst the 16 teams who managed to enter the elimination round. By qualifying, they gained a decent number of supporters who praised and admired them. Even the betting trio gained a large group of followers as they cleaned the betting pots after each stage. Enough said, they became rich in just a few days.

Although they found it tedious to fight similar opponents, the team did enjoy the days they spent at The Arena. Winning both the bets and the fights made their experience in that world bearable. And every day, Dynamus would meet them and gave them some sort of a ‘pep talk’ or most likely dishing up one or two sentences saturated in condescension that even if they won the final match, they would never beat him; to which the team just rolled their eyes and kept quiet. There was nothing they could say to someone who had their manners and humility so far up in their ass.

And so, after six days in the world where the essence of the Power Stone resided, they relaxed and went to sleep after they finished discussing their strategy for the next round. Unlike their previous opponents, the fifteen teams that qualified were better fighters as they had observed. They might face stronger and more tactically prepared contestants tomorrow. Some may even had hidden abilities that they had no idea of. And they couldn’t lose. They would win against them all no matter the cost, using whatever means necessary. Losing was not an option.


	26. The Bookies, the Foodies and the Questionable Ring(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team is still at the Arena. The Elimination Round has begun. How would Team Zephyr fair in the tournament?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in updates. Life has been very busy the last few months.

It had been a week since they came to The Arena. Every day, they fought against three to five teams. The organizer did drag the tournament for as long as they could. If they could make the contest went on indefinitely, the team was sure that the organizer would. 

From the business point of view, it was a profitable venture. Hardcore martial arts enthusiasts and practitioners were still crowding the place. Accommodations were fully booked and eateries always seemed to be chock-full of hungry customers. It was not without casualties however as a lot of fights broke out among patrons because of simple and petty reasons as if being in a place where fighting was the main entertainment justified their actions.

From the team’s perspective, they were spending too much time being stuck here. They still had to go to four other worlds and time was not on their side. Who knew what could happen to the Zephyr they parked on Vormir or to Tony Stark’s body if he was left dead for a long while. They didn’t have the luxury to dilly dally at one place for an extended period of time.

The team was also concerned about the safety of their planet. The Earth had constantly faced a lot for the past few years. They did not even want to think of any apocalyptic wars that might reach their home planet while they were away. With the way things were at the moment, they couldn’t afford to take on another invasion. With the way they (mostly Daisy’s reputation) wreaked havoc on other sentient beings’ territories, it was something to be apprehensive about.

It wasn’t that they were not confident in the abilities of their friends in defending their world; it was just a lot of mess to deal with it and in the aftermath with guilt and grief ate at them to know that they were away when it happened. That happened before and it changed all of them to a degree. In fact, it changed the world and the Earth was still recovering from the battle against Thanos and his army. Besides, everybody was tired and a lot of resources had been spent.

Daisy was especially worried that the many enemies she and her band of misfit crew made throughout the years would come and attack Earth. Some of them were very powerful people with resources of unimaginable proportion like the Confederacy and other beings best not mentioned lest they appeared like boogeyman wanted revenge. Despite her intention not to attract any attention, danger called to them like a magnet and tried however best they might to get out of it quietly, things always evolved into an explosive manner.

Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do but to brave through the quest. They just had to bear with it and marched through to the day they would finally complete their mission and returned home safely. Hopefully without any undesirable elements and outcomes.

~~~~####~~~~

Day 6 of the tournament saw that the Elimination Round began. 16 teams would fight for the eight spots in the quarter-final, which would be held on the next day. Luckily, they didn’t have to get intel on all 15 teams because they already knew who they’d face that morning. Though not a lot was known about the extent of their true abilities, they must have been good enough to reach this level. Anyway, they’d find out more about their next opponents later.

Just like the previous rounds, there were a few rings or stages used to hold the fixtures simultaneously. This time around, they were going to be using the barren rocky patch they saw on the first day they arrived.

Xellos was sitting this round out. He was probably doing whatever nefarious assignment he was sent to do in that world. As long as it didn’t affect their mission, they couldn’t care less. Well, unless he was plotting the destruction of this world, then, that would be a different story. And they wouldn’t put it past him not to do that if ordered by his superior.

Nami, Maria and Natasha were busy being the most sought after bookies, what with the illegal gambling ring they were facilitating. At the same time, they were being impeccably efficient at gathering more information on the teams that had won a spot for today’s match. They even recruited lackeys with questionable morals to help them in their operation.

Since the location for each meet was isolated from one another, they had to split to cover more ground. This was where those new recruits came to be of use. Obviously, they weren’t going to trust them that easily. Hence the tracker they planted on their new minions. They also bluejacked the communication devices those people have on their persons. It was a wonder what a simple app could do in the world of espionage. They also sent some of the new generation dwarfs Fitz created (which Daisy stole because Mack had yet to approve of them) to keep an eye on them and to record the matches.

The same rules as in the previous stages applied to secure their win. Three wins and they would go to the quarter-final. The only difference this time around was that, the matches were going to be at an unconventional ring. The whole rocky area was their stage. There were stone columns, holes with questionable liquids in them and protruding structures they were not sure what those would do. Not only that, the whole place was rigged with obstructions, booby traps and projectile weapons (aimed at them!) meant to hinder, distract, harm and probably kill the combatants.

The notion of fighting to the death was completely and blatantly obvious. Everybody seemed to already know it. The team on the other hand, was just recently privy to that information and they were ultimately on guard for their lives. 

This was a new territory for them – in a competition setting. But they were quite capable of making the fighting ground worked to their advantage. They had studied their opponents and already lined up their turns. Besides, they fought numerous foes in multiple conditions and locations plenty of times before. They had trained for this sort of thing. The space combat module they did before might just come in handy.

“This setup is on a whole new level.” Trip commented and the others agreed with him.

“They were doing that probably just to entertain the audience.” With a large box of popcorns, a brown paper bag with sandwiches and a jumbo-sized soda in her hands, Natasha suggested dispassionately before she headed out to conduct her surveillance at a different stage. That woman was likening watching martial arts competitions to watching movies. Hence, the foods and drinks. She probably had more food in that backpack of hers.

“Maybe it’s to wear the fighters down so that Blondie Asshat would win easily after the final.” Maria delivered her parting line distractedly over her shoulder while munching an apple and consulting her tablet about the dwarfs they dispatched and spying on their new recruits.

Trip was convinced she put out more time checking on the bets they were setting up than the data streamed from the dwarfs. Like Natasha, the commander also planned to enjoy the matches with comfort food. Trip was sure he saw Maria stowed a handful of cupcakes, breads and apples in her sling bag earlier.

“Or maybe the organizer just love to toy with the contestants,” Nami quipped cheerily. “You guys did pretty well in those tunnels. This might not be a problem at all.” She grinned as she walked away, happily enjoying a lollipop – a treat she never tried before, which was preposterous in Daisy’s opinion. So, she plied the spirit with a bag of them and a few packets of Twizzlers and some other snacks. Watching people fight in a controlled setting such as this tournament might bore her easily. Eating was a way to let time flew them by. At least that was how Nami rationalized her eating preference at The Arena.

Xellos was smiling with his eyes closed, licking a soft serve vanilla ice-cream when he approached them just to whimsically say, “well, now children, go break a leg” – and it didn’t sound so much as a good luck wish as a pun intended. With the priest, it was as much a good luck phrase as he meant it in the literal sense. Though, he wouldn’t be opposed to hurt an enemy. In fact, he would enjoy it very much and got to feed from all those negative emotions of the losing team. He did sincerely wish them good luck in his own way.

Then, he went on his merry way to observe the fights at the stage furthest from theirs. At least, that was what they believed he’d do. He might as well take that opportunity to take care of the business that he was supposed to be doing at The Arena. They still had not a single clue as to why he was there in the first place. He was a Mazoku after all. And Mazoku or the demon race took orders from their superiors very seriously or risked punishment. At least that was how it worked in his world.

While they were waiting for the match to start, Trip wanted to further discuss the rocky stage with his remaining teammates before the competition began. It was important that they knew the layout and the potential harm it could give them.

So, he turned to address them, only to widen his eyes at seeing all four of them were busily stuffing their faces with food and chatting as if they were on a picnic. Heck, they even had a mat laid out on the ground. Where on earth did they get that from? And what was this fascination they all had with food and drinks this morning.

“Why are you guys still eating? Daisy, didn’t you have a large breakfast just now?”

“I still have some space here,” she gestured towards her tummy, her words muffled by the pastry she just put in her mouth.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, sweetie.” Wanda chided the Inhuman gently and handed her a napkin. Trip guessed the girls came here prepared. They even got napkins! And two large coolers full of food and beverages Trip didn’t even realize they brought along. He didn’t remember any of them carrying extra baggage on the way to the ring. Ramona must have used her pocket dimension to transport those here.

“Thanks,” Daisy sent Wanda a smile and turned to address Trip, “I’m still hungry.” She then devoured some onion rings her girlfriend handed to her.

“There are still so many foods here.” Red Skull chugged the chocolate milk he found a liking to since the first day they were at The Arena. Then, he proceeded to eat some churros. Another comfort food he discovered he really loved. Trip would not judge him for enjoying those snacks though. That man spent decades on an alien planet as a spirit. That meant years without eating solid food.

“We don’t want to waste them.” Wanda said sheepishly, an almost empty box of blueberries on her lap.

“Yup. Besides, this cupcake is to die for.” Ramona added, devouring the said dessert with gusto for effect.

Trip knew that it was no use trying to separate them from food, especially Daisy. That girl could eat double, no, triple the amount Trip ate. She could probably consume more.

“Is it wise to eat so much before a fight?”

“Nah, it’s not like we eat heavy food. These are all little treats only.”

“Yeah, we’ll burn the calories by fighting later.” Ramona said over her shoulder. She was rummaging in one of the coolers for more food. When she surfaced, she handed him a packet.

“Tim Tam?”

“There are more.” The gypsy sang and smirked as she waved another packet at him.

Damn. These people really knew him. He really loved those chocolates. So, sighing in resignation, he took the discussion to the mat and joined them. He might as well enjoy those treats himself.

~~~~####~~~~

It wasn’t long before each team was called to send a representative into the ring. By then, most of the snacks were gone and they were hyped up on sugar. Let’s just hoped the rush stayed on till they won.

The first one to fight was Red Skull and he won their first point, though not without difficulties and apparently, casualties. It wasn’t his fault the guy he was fighting against tripped as he dodged an arrow that still managed to graze his eyebrow, and then jumped over a steel bear trap a second later before he fell into one of the ponds.

Who would have thought there were meat-eating water creatures in it? At least he only lost a hand and half of his shirt (thanked to Red Skull’s quick action who pulled him out of the water), not his life.

The crowd quieted and waited anxiously. The cheer from the audience as they were out of the water was deafening. The cacophony halted pretty suddenly when one of the fighters screamed in agony while holding his hand or what was left of it. Just as swiftly as they descended into silence, there were growing whispers among the crowd as they watched on.

The blood spurted from the sudden grossly done unconsented amputation was staggering that he looked green and grey in the gills before he passed out. There was a hushed silence around the ring as the medics on duty tended to the unlucky fighter. Once they took him off the ring, the officials announced Red Skull as the winner, the audience cheered and it was back to business again. The bloody incident a few minutes ago was forgotten as the round continued.

Having brought the team to lead the tally, Red Skull proceeded to fight the next fighter. The obstacles, weaponry ambushes and booby traps the organizer laid out all over the place proved to be very hazardous and definitely distracting. As a result, he lost the second match to a freaking cannon ball he did not see coming, not a finishing blow from his opponent.

Admittedly, it was probably too much for his skull to withstand its impact because the ball was made from stone or iron – they were not so sure. It did crack the earth it fell on. He was out cold before he reached the ground. Luckily, his hard head did not sustain any grievous injury except a nicely formed goose egg and he might probably suffer from concussion. He might not get the same super serum as Captain America, but it did made his body stronger and kept him alive after such a blow to the head.

Therefore, they had to forfeit that round to the opposition team. Thus, tying both teams 1-1. It was ironic that both teams snatched their first point by having their opponents be bested by the unconventional ring. At least Red Skull’s head was still intact aside from the goose egg unlike the other guy who now sported a stump for a hand.

The next one to enter the ring was Trip and he won the second pivotal point for the team; totally thanked to sheer luck. Too focused on fighting each other, both warriors failed to pay close attention to those dangerous setups designed to distract and hit the combatants.

Chunks of large rocks surprised both of them and they were slammed to the ground and were trapped under a large one. After five minutes of waiting where none of them came out from underneath the concreted mass of stony material, the organizer decided to pause the match and see to the contestants’ well-being.

After calling out their names a few times, they heard Trip calling back weakly. So, they lifted the rock off of them and it was revealed that only he was still conscious. His opponent was down for the count with injuries that were quite extensive. Trip, luckily, did not sustain any severe wounds except a broken nose, plus a few bruises and contusions all over his body. He was also a bit disoriented.

Since his adversary was knocked out, he secured the second win for the team. Even though he only had minor injuries, a plausible concussion ruled out his participation for the next round, so the team benched him from fighting the next competitor due to medical reasons. Not that he would object to that. In fact, he conceded to that easily enough especially when Ramona dropped a few packets of his favorite chocolate on his laps. And he began to see Natasha’s point of view with snacking while watching a fight.

When Wanda stepped onto the fighting area, they were leading 2-1. It was promising but anything was possible in a fight. The other team might have something destructive under their sleeves and thus impeded their chance for a quick victory. To reduce the risk of getting hurt not only by the other team’s fighter, but also from the inconvenient and questionable ring, she decided to end the match swiftly and won the spot to quarter-final.

Weapons were not allowed. Not until the quarter final. They didn’t say anything about magic or power. So, she took advantage of that. Covering herself in a protective shield (she remembered to make it invisible unlike her usual flair in red – just in case they ruled that out too), she braced against the fierce attacks her opponent delivered her way. Knowing that physical combat was not her domain, she used the traps and obstructions that were getting more violent and excessive as the fight progressed, to her advantage.

Aiming her attacks concurrently with the battle ground’s interference was her modus operandi. And it proved to be effective as the other combatant was getting frustrated with the hits he received and sustained more injuries (most of them were not from the fight) as compared to the Scarlet Witch. It didn’t take long for Wanda to knock the other fighter out once she got the hang on the strategy she concocted. It helped that she used her power discreetly.

With the other contestant knocked out, Wanda secured their third win and a spot in the quarter-final. Daisy and Ramona who were lined up to fight after her didn’t even have to warm up at all. This victory endeared them more to the audience especially those who started to bet on their triumphs.

By the end of that day, they gained more supporters and respect from the people at the Arena. Winning the bets was a plus too. They also gleaned a lot of information on their next possible opponents, which led them to strategize their tactic for tomorrow.

All in all, it was a successful day and they spend the next few hours just relaxing and trying all sorts of refreshments the place had to offer.


	27. Anything Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the quarter final and the rules have changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ] – mechanical voice
> 
> // // – talking through comms or coming from the screen
> 
> Mazoku – demon race

The format for the quarter final was not something the team would have ever guessed. This was not factored in the strategy they planned yesterday. They thought all fights would be held on one of those different stages scattered in the area.

Therefore, they were a bit befuddled when they were transported to a ghost town (mostly) outside of the main area of the Arena. Who would have thought that the place was a lot bigger that it seemed. They were also sent in pairs (in random) to different locations within the town, with only a badge each to signify their team.

This time around, all six members were required to participate in a guerrilla combat - sort of. The teams could fight however they wanted. It was a no mercy-anything goes round. The rules were simple:

  1. Incapacitate all members of the opposing team.
  2. Props, weapons, powers and fight to the death are allowed.
  3. Collect all six of the opposing team badges.



The first team to collect all badges and regroup at the meeting point would be announced as the winner and they’d be transported back to the Arena right after that. However, there was a time-frame. The round ended at sundown. If they didn’t make it by then, they would have to find their own way out of that place, which could compromise their chance at semifinal the next day.

The teams didn’t have a lot of time to come up with a foolproof strategy before they were blinked out of the Arena rather dramatically to the awe of all spectators. Although some audiences were sure that they heard most fighters’ quite colorful vocabulary right before they vanished.

Luckily for our team of warriors, they were already prepared with communication devices. As soon as they heard the word ‘scattered’, the commander and the Black Widow insisted their friends to take an earpiece and a dwarf each. That would help them immensely through the quarter-final’s guerrilla style combat.

At the Arena, four enormous screens were erected at different spots that could cater to a large number of spectators. All meets were held simultaneously with two teams at each battle ground. So, people flocked to those locations to watch their preferred matches.

Meanwhile, the three bookmaking ladies had resorted to watching the actions live on screen as well but somewhere else at the Arena. Once their friends were taken to their battlefields, they hastened to modify the setup of their private viewing spot with a surveillance system that had yet to be fully tested. But they had to make do and hoped that it’d work.

They found a perfect spot – a strategic center point from all four viewing areas. A bit hidden but still quite visible; and received more customers who were desperate to make easy money despite the risks of possible losses.

The fact that they were working around several personal screens as compared to the larger ones displayed around the Arena was a mystery to all who witnessed their work, but not to the team. It was a simple matter of Daisy and Natasha hacking the server and mirroring all feeds to their tablets the night before with their resident AI Jr. to run and maintain the connection during the day. All they had to do was monitor the whole operation.

The decision to watch the battles through screens were already made the day before, so that, they didn’t have to move around now that they knew there were monitors and tablets around that they could acquire at no price at all. Besides, they had minions to move around. Now that the format of the round was unveiled, they were glad they decided on this course of action.

There were only four fixtures that day. It made things easier for them to manage. They sent their minions to find more customers and gather extra information from the viewers about the other teams. Since they were now entering the round where killing was permissible, it was imperative that they glean as much as they could about the other fighters’ abilities and fighting styles.

Nevertheless, it still required them to have more than simply tablets. The many extra screens they currently used were procured illegally anyway. Stolen was more likely – something Natasha, Daisy and Xellos did proficiently and rather excitedly the previous day. There was no question that they revel in such morally ambiguous deeds. That did match the nature of their current profession as the instigator of an illegitimate gambling ring.

It wasn’t unheard of for them to do something against the law though they never did so openly. Well, not really. They were once or twice wanted by the authority. The many personas of Daisy’s and Natasha’s used to be among the most wanted lists back on Earth. Some were still there. And we did not talk about Daisy’s notoriety as The Space Menace.

It was indeed a breath of fresh air for them to do something outlawed again yet they’d never regret it. Well, as long as they were not caught. Although they got the feeling that their activity was not that secretive anymore, nobody told them to stop.

In fact, some of the business proprietors and officials at the Arena were among their clients. If the worst came to pass, they’d just blackmail them. Or let Daisy and Wanda loose on them as the last resort, but only after they got what they came here for.

So, they tried their best to stay out of trouble. At the same time cheering for their team from afar and checking out the fights among their possible opponents for the next round through the screens. And snacking of course. This place had all the delicious food they did not want to miss trying out.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Ghost Town, Location #1_ **

When he opened his eyes, a little bit disoriented, he found himself inside a large building. It was probably an abandoned warehouse. His head was still a bit sore courtesy of the cannon ball the day before. Luckily, it was a bit dark inside. So, that sort of helped with his throbbing skull.

After he released the small flying machine the girls insisted they all brought along, he got to work. He was checking the area for any danger when sound of footsteps reached his ears. They were almost silent, a bit hesitated but his hearing was enhanced. It promptly brought him out of his reverie and he immediately hid behind the numerous crates stacked ceiling high. Eyeing the direction the footsteps came from, he could feel his heart pounded hard in his chest.

The person came nearer and nearer to his hiding place. He could hold his own in a fight but he didn’t know how strong his opponent was or if they had extra abilities. Hiding in wait was not his style and definitely not good for his heart. He suddenly found it hard to breathe and started to panic. He was not going to have a panic attack. He was a legend not a wimp.

It wasn’t long before the rapid beat of his heart beneath his ribs slowed down considerably and he could breathe easier. He knew that silhouette.

“Trip.” He stage whispered.

“Hey man. Thank goodness I’m not alone here.” The dark-skinned man smiled, feeling glad to see a familiar face. “Why didn’t you turn on your earpiece? We were trying to reach you for ages.”

Obviously, Red Skull didn’t remember about the device in his ear. With Trip’s help, they turned it on and were able to communicate with the others. At least those at the Arena gave them the description of the place, which made navigating the sea of crates and hallways easier.

There was a heated bickering from the demon and the gypsy through their comms, although that was to be expected when you dropped them alone at the same site. He didn’t think he heard the other two girls. He wouldn’t worry about that. They probably turned it off. Besides, those two could take care of themselves just fine.

Both men were hiding among crates (which upon checking them contained weapons and explosive materials) and pillars, the two unlikely partners took a few minutes to regroup and come with an exit strategy. They must somehow get out of this place and back to the Arena. All they had to do was heading towards the spot on the map they were given earlier that marked as the last stop. They probably encountered the rival team on the way there, which would be great as they could grab their badges.

So, after arming themselves with a few select weapons, the two men skulked quietly towards the exit while being on alert to any possible attacks. They were not that paranoid but it beat being ambushed en route. They knew that one or two members of the opposite teams must have been near their location, or else what would be the point of scattering them up all over the place without expecting a battle to break out. Though Red Skull wondered how the organizer would know what happened to them.

They were not even out of the building when bullets were sprayed in their direction. Alarmed with the assault, both men dashed behind the crates and concrete columns for safety. All senses were on alert, trying to determine where the offense came from.

They still couldn’t tell the position of their attackers when again they were shot at. This time from a different direction. Blind to the exact spots of the shooters, all they could do was dived and got themselves out of the range of fire.

Things became worse when they were hit with bullets and laser beams. It was not without success. Some bullets managed to find purchase on them. Luckily, they were all flesh wounds only. Though the same thing couldn’t be said about Red Skull’s cloak or Trip’s right eyebrow.

The situation seemed dire but the laser beams did help them to detect one of the attackers and they immediately retaliated. The firefight took quite some time and all of their ammo. They weren’t even able to get another weapon from one of the crates as the opponents were shooting at them every time they tried to move. So, Trip used his power, not that their enemy knew about it. His ability was quite subtle.

That bought them a few minutes to get more weapons from the crates and run towards the exit. All those gunpowder and explosives in the crates made the warehouse a bad place to exchange gunshots. They were nearing the exit when projectiles headed their way again. Trip’s camouflage must not have held as long as they hoped. The assault turned even heavier. Their opponent even used rocket launchers. Inside a building full of volatile elements for goodness sake. Talked about being reckless.

“Are you kidding me?” Trip groaned as they took cover behind a forklift. He glanced at Red Skull on his right when the old man mumbled something unintelligible. It was just some curse words in three different languages.

“Is that how you wanna play? Alright.”

Before an alarmed Trip could stop him, Red Skull threw one of the grenades he kept under his coat towards the one with the laser gun and they both ducked for cover. The explosion knocked one of their attackers and the double beams he fired at the time of impact went wild.

Trip, Red Skull and the other assailant only managed to witness as the deadly rays hit some of the crates. The crates then imploded revealing its content – chock-full of explosives – and caused a larger series of explosion that threw them out of the building.

The last thing Red Skull remembered was the pain ringing in his ears and the acute pain to his body as he was hurled into the air a few feet high and landed a considerable distance away from the warehouse before black spots covered his vision and darkness welcomed him to its lair.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Ghost Town, Location #2_ **

“What is this? Ogreville?” Ramona grumbled as she destroyed a group of ogres that came out of nowhere.

“Apparently, this place not only has ogres, they also have other creatures.” Xellos said cheerily as he fought giant gnomes.

They had been fighting since they first appeared. The small window they had to take a breather was used to establish connections with the team and to activate the dwarfs. Fortunately, they didn’t have to deal with technical difficulties. Ramona was terrible at overly complicated modern technology. Xellos, on the other hand never even bother with it. He had magic; he could do anything with it. Why would he need to know about human contraptions?

At first, Xellos just watched Ramona trashing a couple of ogres. He only helped when a large group of them entered the fray. That was only after Ramona egged on him to drag his ‘lazy and terrified’ ass to join the fight. Obviously, Xellos rebutted that he was not scared, which prompted Ramona to issue a dare for Xellos to prove himself. Everything was a dare to them. As usual, abusing each other verbally was their go to method of dealing with close proximity.

It was a while and over forty gnomes and ogres had met their fates in the unlikely duo’s hands when there was a static from their earpieces. A familiar husky voice spoke through it.

 **//** Hey guys. How’s it going? **//**

“Can’t talk now. Busy.”

“Oh Miss Ramona, are you saying that you cannot talk while fighting? That’s lame.” That nasal, patronizing voice was really grating on her nerves. Ramona wondered how long she had to tolerate his presence.

“Shut up Xellos.” She growled.

“You even need my help fighting these creatures.” The smug, snooty smile that was ever present on the priest was really testing her patience.

“I do not need your help. You were just lazing around. I’m just using you.”

The vein on his temple ticked rather visibly.

“I’m letting you think that you use me, making you think that you are superior to me, whereas we know that you’re not,” he said condescendingly. “You can’t even multitask while I can talk, fight and eat at the same time.” He demonstrated that by eating a strawberry.

‘Where the hell did he get that?’ Ramona grumbled internally. No way would she ask him.

 **//** Ooo-kay. Have a good fight then. Just wanna tell guys that both comms and dwarfs are working fine. Bye. **//**

The voice from their communication devices was ignored. The two of them were too occupied with their word battle.

“This shows that we demons are better than your lot.”

Oh, that was a challenge if she said so herself.

“It’s not that I can’t. I prefer to do things one at a time.” Bashing somebody’s skull is a stress relieving exercise that should be enjoyed and she did not have to think of anything else so as not to be distracted.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Where is the fun in that?”

“Fun? Must everything be fun to you?”

“Of course. How else would I be fed? We feed on negative emotions. Having fun at someone else’s misery is how my people live our lives.”

“Whatever. Now shut your trap and fight so that we can get the hell out of here fast.” Ramona growled in annoyance.

“Tsk tsk…such language. Are you sure you’re not one of us, Miss Ramona?”

That question just got him an ogre-flavored slam to the back of his head, courtesy of one irate gypsy.

So, they fought their way out of the area. Though it was easier said than done. More creatures came out. Goblins, gremlins, orcs and trolls.

“Urghh, how many of them are there? The number seems endless. We don’t have time for this.”

“Well, if it’s up to me, I won’t waste time fighting them.”

“So what do you suggest we do?”

“Did I hear that right? You asked for my advice?”

“Not an advice, you narcissist. A suggestion.”

“Hmm. Well,” he paused for the sake of being dramatic. If it made the gypsy angry, all the better.

“Well?” As he assumed, she did get annoyed to the point of being angry though he could only sense it fleetingly. Her ability to veil her emotions was commendable. “Anytime now.”

“I would just put them all down in one fell swoop.” He said cheerily.

“Then, what are you waiting for? Just do it.”

“If you say so.”

So, Xellos summoned his magic. Then, he raised his hand. With his pointer finger, he shot an energy beam that touched all moving creatures except Ramona. And they all flopped to the ground, lifeless.

Ramona stood without showing any reaction. She knew that Xellos was powerful, but still, to witness him wielding that power effortlessly was sort of frightening. It was a wonder they were all still alive with the way they interacted with him. Not that she couldn’t take on him. She knew she could. Daisy could too. They did have one or two tools to use against him.

“Are they dead?” She asked just to make sure.

“Evidently.” The mazoku said haughtily.

“Did you really have to kill them all?”

“I did mention ‘put them down’ and I don’t do thing half-assedly.”

‘Hmm. Typical mazoku.’ She scoffed under her breath. No, it was more like typical Xellos’ handiwork.

“Let’s just get out of here, old man.”

“Old man? You’re the one who is old, you old coot.”

“Not as ancient as you old geezer.”

And so, the two unlikely pair walked towards their destination, bickering all the way. Once or twice the others would chime in. So far, they hadn’t encountered anyone from the rival team.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Back at the Arena_ **

“Such rivalry.”

“Do we have to worry about them?”

“Nah, they’ll be fine unless their patience and tolerance towards each other runs out. As long as they don’t kill each other, there’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“What’s the story there anyway?”

“You have to ask them or Trip or Daisy. They knew him from before.”

"What about you F.I.L.I.A.? What can you tell us about them?"

 **[** Apparently, Xellos represents Darkness while Ramona represents the Light. As such, they couldn’t help the susceptibility towards their natures but to oppose each other. **]** A feminine, very humanlike mechanical voice supplied. 

The ladies took a minute to digest that information, which only brought forth more questions. They really didn’t know the priest and Ramona’s personal history had always been shrouded in mystery. In fact, it was getting even more mysterious since they began the journey. Apparently, only their sister knew who those two really were.

 **[** Ladies, we have a problem. **]**

On one of the split screens, two words were spelled out.

**== Signal Lost ==**

“Oh shit. We lost their signals.”

“Which one?”

“Trip and Red Skull.”

More curses rent the air. The impact of the explosion must have destroyed their comms and the cameras the organizer planted in the warehouse.

“Well, after that explosion, I’ll be surprised if there’s any more footage.”

“Unless the organizer has a camera quite far away from the blast.”

“What about the dwarfs?”

A mechanical voice chimed in.

 **[** We also lost the signal from the dwarfs they activated when they first arrived. **]**

“There goes our full collection. Daisy will be pissed.”

“Not as pissed as Fitz would be.”

 **[** What he doesn’t know won’t hurt. **]**

“What happens at the Arena, stays at the Arena.”

“Oh, he’d just make a new one if he knew. I’m sure with upgrades.”

“Good to know.”

 **[** Anyway, I’ve started the tracking program for the boys. **]**

_Five minutes later…_

“Are they still alive?”

 **[** Information could not be obtained. **]**

“Still couldn’t trace them?”

 **[** Negative. **]**

“It shouldn’t take this long. I hope they’re okay.”

“They better be.”

_10 minutes later…_

“Still no news?” It was the first time a hint of worry could be heard in the spirit’s tone.

“Yeah, nothing. We’re still tracking their vitals and location. Everything they have must have been damaged.”

“Even when we use F.I.L.I.A. Jr.?”

“Yep. We still can’t pick up any signals.”

“Damn.”

“Now what? We don’t know whether those two are alive or…”

“What are the odds?”

 **[** The probability of survival for both of them is 18.9035%. **]**

“You could have just rounded it up to 19. It would sound higher.”

 **[** Four decimal places would be more accurate. Rounding it up won't make any difference. **]**

“Smartass robot.” The redhead huffed under her breath.

 **[** I am not a robot. I’m a very advanced artificial superintelligence across a few galaxies. **]**

For a copy of an ASI with a makeshift server in the pocket dimension inside Daisy’s sling bag of wonder, she did indignant pretty impressively.

“Whatever.”

“Girls.” An exasperated Maria chided them both gently.

“Fine.”

“What about one of them?”

 **[** The probability of survival for Trip is 07.7997%. **]**

 **[** The probability of survival for Red Skull is 15.2201%. **]**

“Don’t tell me bad odds. Run it again.”

~~~~####~~~~

**_Back to Ramona & Xellos_ **

They met their two feather-haired opponents near a row of stone cliff. It was an easy battle for them. One was rendered unconscious after Ramona flipped him directly onto a stone wall. That was one badge won. The other one was thrown over the precipice by Xellos and the impact aroused the stones to move. Apparently, that place was full of fantasy creatures. As far as fairy tales creatures went, stone giants were the slowest but one of the deadliest.

“Oh shit. Did you get the badge from him?”

“Nope.”

“Go down there and get it.”

“Why me? You go.”

“You were the one who threw him.”

“But there are giants down there.”

“And you’re a mazoku. Are you saying that the big bad mazoku is afraid of moving stones?”

“I’m not afraid of anything.”

“Oh, really?”

“Really.”

“Then, what are you waiting for? Go down there and retrieve the badge. Walk the astral plane. The giants won’t even see you coming.”

“Fine.” The gypsy did have a point.

However, before Xellos could move, they witnessed the poor battered feather-haired guy being catapulted straight towards them. Well, that was handy. So, they searched for the badge, which was made harder as they were assaulted with stones thrown from below the cliff. Some were as big as a truck. Plus, the ground was rumbling and they had to concentrate to be steady on their feet. But, retrieved the badge they did and got on their way they went with Ramona’s energy shielding them from the rocky blitz.

~~~~####~~~~

**_At the Arena, 15 minutes after they ran the boys’ probabilities to survive._ **

**[** The numbers are getting lower the more simulations I run to predict Trip and Red Skull’s chances to survive. **]**

“Any luck on tracing them yet?”

 **[** None. I’ve rerouting Lancelot to their last known location. **]**

“Who the hell is Lancelot?”

 **[** One of the dwarfs. Lancelot was previously dispatched by Daisy. **]**

“The dwarf is called Lancelot?”

 **[** Yes. Pretty cliché for Fitz. **]**

If an ASI could snort, the sound she did after that might just represent it. She most likely still hadn’t truly forgiven the Scottish’s alternate version’s abominable deed to her creator even after over five years. Talked about a string of codes bearing grudges.

“And the others? What are their names?” The Infinity stones’ spirit really wanted to know.

“Something from the medieval age.” Such a deadpanned tone from one petite redheaded ex-assassin.

 **[** The ones with Trip and Red Skull are Galahad and Bedivere. Both seem to have perished. Xellos and Ramona have Gareth and Gawain with them. Wanda has Percival. The ones that we sent to follow the minions and monitor the Arena are Tristan, Agravain, Dagonet, Bors, Kay, Ector and Gaheris. All remaining dwarfs are in working condition except Lamorak, Arthur and Merlin because Daisy hasn’t calibrated them yet. **]**

“Great. They’re named after the Knights of the Round Table.” The commander snorted.

“They’re Fitz’s.” Natasha uttered matter of factly.

 **[** His previous batch was named after Harry Potter’s characters. **]**

“How predictable. Simmons’ influence I suppose.”

 **[** Correct. And the ones before that were the Outlanders and Downtown Abbey. **]**

“You don’t say…”

 **[** Oh, he also named some after that show with the time travelling phone booth. **]**

“Go figure.”

_20 minutes later…_

**[** Xellos and Ramona already got two badges and are moving towards the meeting point. **]**

“At least we still have one good news.”

 **[** Once they escape the dragons and the tree spirits. **]**

“Dragons?”

“Tree spirits?”

“They have those there?”

 **[** After all the creatures we saw them fight, one more shouldn’t surprise you. **]**

If an artificial intelligence could deadpan, that tone was the nearest imitation.

“Great. Daisy’s little baby has learnt condescension.” Natasha huffed quietly.

So, they watched the bickering pair fought the dragons, the tree spirits and each other on the screen and through their comms; at the same time worrying about the other four errant members of their team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens to our warriors? The commentary on the quarter final of the Martial Arts tournament will be continued … Soon…


	28. Troublesome Situations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Six warriors are dropped at an unfamiliar territory. How would Ramona and Xellos escape to the meeting point? What is the fate of Trip and Red Skull? Where are Wanda and Daisy? How do the ladies back at the Arena handle the stress of watching their friends’ efforts to survive? Especially when they have to deal with a sassy artificial superintelligence that always gets on people’s nerve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ] – mechanical voice
> 
> // // – talking through comms or coming from the screen
> 
> Mazoku – demon race  
> ASI – Artificial Superintelligence

**_Somewhere in an unknown forest, halfway to the meeting point_ **

Xellos and Ramona’s journey to the meeting point was hindered with more stumbling blocks. This time, it was in the forms of dragons and tree spirits. The dragons were in rampage, diving in on them in the hope of clawing and roasting the two unsuspecting fighters. The tree spirits were actually large, eerily looking trees, unlike the cute little Groot, that could actually move around freely. Oh, and both swarms of creatures were mad that they were intruding on their territories.

“Xellos, do something!”

“Why must it always me who has to do anything?!”

“Because your annoying voice woke these bloody trees up!”

“MY voice!? Really?”

“Yes, if you would just shut your mouth when I told you, we wouldn’t have to fight both the dragons and the trees.”

“How on earth would I know there are evil trees lying around?” The mazoku hissed sarcastically.

“The moment when I said ‘ _Shut up. The trees are listening_.’ Or did you forget?” She glowered.

“I thought you were just being your temperamental self.” He sneered.

“You thought wrong. And I’m not temperamental!” She huffed in annoyance.

Sounds of animal roars and wings flapping and the scene of frenzied violence filled the air. Plus the ‘swoosh swish’ sounds of the tree limbs moving dangerously. It was chaotic.

Then, Xellos heard Ramona yelped in surprise. Apparently, she was captured by a tree. He could see that one of the dwarfs that had been following them was focused on her, relaying their situation to their friends. He was pretty sure there was another drone flying above them the whole time too. It probably belonged to the organizer. How those machines managed not to get hit amazed him. He was sure that the audience could see how she struggled to free herself but to no avail. The gypsy was trapped inside a massive tree with flailing limbs.

“Xellos, behind you. Watch out!”

Apparently the tree spirits were very territorial. Not only they had Ramona within their pulpy grasp, they also wanted Xellos. And they would fight the dragons for that. Therefore, the mazoku now had to fight the dragons among his many tree limbs escaping maneuvers.

One of the fleshiest tree branches almost swiped his head. He managed to dodge just in time but not from the second branch. It did however catch his leg and swirled him into the air, passing him around among tree limbs and sometimes the dragons.

“Jeez, these things. Do I look like a ball for you to play catch?”

Meanwhile, during her eternally ineffective struggle to escape her tree bark of a prison, Ramona watched the spectacle that was Xellos being tossed around like a ball. Some dragons even breathed fire towards him, singeing his hideous purple cloak and hair. Who on earth even wear cloaks anymore?

“Miss Ramona. Are you going to do anything? A little help here if you don’t mind.”

“And how you do you think I could do that, pray tell?”

There was a lull as the mazoku fought to release his cloak from the clutch of a very enormous dragon that got struck by a raging tree spirit. Who then went on to attack said tree and turned the war zone even more chaotic.

“And why are these dragons only come at me?” The mazoku complained.

“You stepped on their eggs. And you wonder why they’re fixated on you?” Ramona asked him incredulously.

“Why only on me? You were there too. Now that you’re wrapped within a tree, you should be the easy prey.”

“Excuse me? Are you saying that they should eat me instead of bashing your thick skull?”

“Just saying the more logical thing for them to do. You Light people always think of me negatively.” The gypsy couldn’t believe her eyes to see the deadly priest actually pouted.

“That’s because you people of darkness always showed us something bad.”

“That’s low, even for you Miss Ramona.”

She exhaled loudly. For all that was good and holy, Ramona surrendered – for now. Not that the purple-haired demon would know about it. Fighting with Xellos was really exhausting. He was insufferable. And now was not even the time to talk for goodness sake.

~~~~####~~~~

**_The Gambling Ring Secret HQ at the Arena_ **

“Aren’t they tired of arguing all the time?”

On the screen, they saw Ramona clenched her jaw so tightly that they were afraid it might shatter her teeth. The others could hear the mazoku grunting as he fought for his life. It went a bit better once he managed to cut himself off from the tree. The fight went on for a while without any verbal blow from both fighters.

 **//** Can’t you do anything, Miss Ramona? **//**

 **//** If you couldn’t tell, this one got me trapped inside it. Short of bursting out its bark, which probably killed it, there’s nothing I could do. **//**

Ramona was completely encased within the tree. The only visible part of her was the face. Her fiercely scowling face.

 **//** Just use your power. I thought you control elemental magic. **//**

“Elemental magic, huh?” Maria pondered loudly,

“That makes sense,” and Natasha agreed with her.

That was a new bit of information they heard about Ramona. The team, barred Daisy (most likely) didn’t really know what the gypsy’s extensive abilities were. All they knew was that she was a seer, a healer and an overall expert in magic among other things. However, now that they recalled everything the gypsy had done, the ability to control and bend the elements to her will seemed about right.

 **//** Since when are trees an element? Why aren’t YOU using your power? This should be a piece of cake to you. You destroyed those creatures earlier. **//**

 **//** But these are dragons. **//**

 **//** You eliminated an army of dragons before. How is this any different? **//**

There was no immediate answer from Xellos as he dodged a fire breath from a dragon, which almost reached the trapped Ramona. A string of profanity could be heard from said gypsy that could make a sailor blush.

 **//** I promised someone that I won’t kill dragons anymore unless it’s the last resort. You know that my words are binding. **//**

 **//** Why on earth would you promise that? **//**

Her tone of incredulity matched the others’ thoughts as well.

 **//** I had no choice, okay. My hands are tied with this vow. **//**

 **//** Right. As if anyone can force you besides your boss. **//**

The gypsy scoffed. She didn’t sound like she believed him. Heck, Maria, Natasha and Nami didn’t believe him either.

 **//** Nobody forced me. **//**

He said that too fast and through gritted teeth too. That was suspicious in and of itself. Ramona studied him skeptically. 

**//** So you were tricked then? **//**

Xellos faltered a bit in his attack on a wandering tree limb at the question before he regained his footing. The grimace on his face and the tick near his eyes, visible on the screen, was a confirmation of Ramona’s assumption.

 **//** I’d prefer coerced, Miss Ramona, not tricked. **//**

 **//** Huh. This is priceless. Someone tricked the trickster priest. Tell me Xellos, this someone, is she a dragon? The very same one that got you whipped? **//**

 **//** I am not whipped. **//**

That was answered so fast as if it was a reflex to a common occurrence.

 **//** Say what you want. I see it as it is. **//**

The glee was clearly heard in the gypsy’s voice and in the smirk she sported at the rare opportunity to get the upper hand against the purple-haired priest.

 **//** I told you, that’s not it. **//**

 **//** Yup. Totally whipped. **//**

“Well, now we know something about him. Imagine that. A demon and a dragon together.”

“Aren’t those two species mortal enemies?” Nami queried.

“That’s what the girls told us.”

“It’s not really that surprising. Love could catch you at the most unexpected time. With someone you never thought possible.”

“Like the two of you?” Nami tilted her head towards Natasha and Maria.

“Yep. Or like Stark and Pepper. I never thought he would be married at all.” Maria added.

“Exactly. And if you want another example – like that buddy of yours from the marines. A sociopath married to a psychopath. Now that is bizarre.”

~~~~####~~~~

**_Back to Ramona and Xellos_ **

This wouldn’t do. With Xellos’ insistence of not killing the dragons, they would not be able to get away easily and quickly. So, Ramona did something she didn’t really want to do. Killing the tree that imprisoned her, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Anything that would let them get on with the tiring trek across this bloody forest intact.

It wasn’t her first time doing exactly that anyway. Once, she destroyed a garden and a chauvinistic powerful man's ego who wouldn't take no at a party. The damage was quite extensive to her surrounding - the guests and the garden plus a little bit of the mansion nearby, which prompted her to leave the city immediately.

So, she summoned her inner magical capacity, channeling the energy called forth from the ground and imbued the bark surrounding her with immense pressure until it burst with a loud scream of sorrow and pain. Remnants of tree barks flew all over the place as the pressure immediately killed it and the gypsy was freed.

“About time you get out, Miss Ramona.”

“Well, I can’t really depend on a whipped mazoku who wouldn’t hurt the dragons.”

“For the umpteenth time, I am not whipped!”

“Whatever you say, Xellos.” She sing-songed. “Now, let’s end this once and for all.”

Right after she said that, Ramona chanted an amplifying spell because of the large number of enemy they were facing. Her eyes were glowing as she continued chanting another spell - a sleeping spell, made extra powerful with the power boost spell earlier. In a matter of a second, all dragons fell asleep, slammed to the ground, creating craters of dragon-shaped holes. All the trees had also stopped moving, some were flattened by the napping dragons. The whole area was spooky calm as though nothing short of a mythical war had happened seconds ago.

Taking a deep breath of relief, both of them slumped to the ground due to exhaustion. They just needed a few minutes to rest before they started moving.

“Should have done that a lot earlier.” Xellos was pretty annoyed because now the gypsy had ammunition against him. And if he was not mistaken, the rest of the crew too.

“Where’s the fun in that?” The smug smirk she sported didn’t go unnoticed by the mazoku who just huffed sulkily.

A few minutes passed and it was time to get moving. Just as they stood, they were assaulted with an extremely loud noise that had them double over in pain. Groaning some curse words, the two of them searched for the origin of the sound.

“What on earth could that sound come from?”

They checked their surroundings and as far as they could.

“There.” Ramona pointed to something moving fast from the depth of the jungle.

That thing was floating towards them at an alarming speed, screaming all the way.

“Another tree? This one really needs anger management therapy. I thought you put them all to sleep.”

“It wasn’t here just now. And that thing is not just a tree but one that should be told that her vocal sucks.” Ramona said, noting its feature that differed from the rest of the tree spirits, and its favorite interest, which was screeching. “It’s a tree banshee.”

“Oh great. Are we in a forest of doom or something? Can’t we get a break?”

When the Tree Banshee arrived right in front of them and screeched so loud, they were afraid the sound might rupture their eardrums. They were lucky Xellos put up a sound barrier around them just in time. The same thing couldn’t be said to one of the dwarfs and the organizer’s drone. It was so bad that both devices outside the barrier imploded before the screech even stopped.

“How very eloquent.” Xellos drawled derisively.

“For something that only screeches?” Ramona snorted contemptuously. “Eloquent my ass.”

As if in silent agreement, they got to work. There was no need to fight the banshee head on. They were pressing for time. So, Xellos used a silencing spell to shut her up but that didn’t stop the banshee from attacking them. It only made her more enraged. So, Ramona put her to sleep. And the tranquility returned.

Once that was done, they quickly consulted the map and left the area in haste. Hopefully without any more delays, although it was just wishful thinking. They came across a few other volatile creatures on their way to the meeting point. Nevertheless, it was dealt with pretty fast and rather efficiently despite the non-stop squabbling they partook all the way to their destination.

~~~~####~~~~

**_The Gambling Ring Secret HQ at the Arena_ **

The awful sound travelled to those at the Arena causing thousands of people to roll in pain. Since the drone shattered, there was no more footage transmitted to the screen the organizer set up. Luckily for the team, the bickering duo still had one dwarf with them.

It took some time for them to recover from the auditory assault. Even F.I.L.I.A. struggled to maintain her efficiency when the sound reverberated through her system. They were still wincing with the discomfort when a slightly distorted mechanical voice penetrated their hearing.

 **[** We lost Gawain. The showcase of the banshee’s impressive lung capacity caused it and the other drone to explode. **]**

“Another one bites the dust.”

 **[** We still have Gareth though. **]**

“Good to know. I guess we’re the only one who could still follow those two.”

 **[** Indeed. **]**

“Are we sure the organizer said that they sent our team to a ghost town? That doesn’t look like one.” Natasha pointed out. 

“More like an enchanted forest.” Nami suggested. The other two nodded in agreement.

“Trip and Red Skull’s location could be a ghost town but who knows? These people are quite sneaky anyway. They might just say it in generalization.”

“Perhaps.”

“I guess we don’t have to worry about Ramona and Xellos. They can take on anything.”

“Couldn’t we ask them to check on the boys?”

 **[** They’re at the other edge of the town, miles away from their location. The meeting point is at the center of the place with a lot of unknown elements in between. **]**

On one of the screens, a map of the battleground their team was sent to was on display. Their friends’ locations were marked with four blinking avatars they personalized to each fighter, which showed their distance from each other. The two avatars that represented Trip and Red Skull were idling at their last location as they had lost connection to them. They were not blinking either. The locations of the dwarfs were also marked by blinking red dots.

“Besides, who knows what else they’ll encounter if they had to trek all the way to the warehouse.”

“What about the girls?”

 **[** The last footage from Lancelot showed Daisy and Wanda somewhere with lots of trees. **]**

“A forest?”

 **[** Most likely. **]**

“Not another enchanted forest I hope.”

 **[** The trees look normal. **]**

“That was over an hour ago. Where are they now?”

F.I.L.I.A. displayed a video recording on one of the screens showing a cabin.

 **[** The last view from Percival was of them entering that cabin. He is left outside checking the perimeter. I couldn’t determine what they are doing at the moment, but from their vitals and the noise from their comms, I interpret that they’re having fun. **]**

“What kind of fun?” Nami voiced out her curiosity.

 **[** I believe they are- **]**

“You probably don’t want to know.” The other women just rolled their eyes as they interrupted the ASI from relaying something that was likely going to be of the too much information variety.

The interruption only fueled Nami’s interest. So, of course she would ask more and it turned into a debate on what was the worst thing they had to endure because of their association with the Inhuman. It also sort of confusing for her because the women talked about something bad affectionately. Humans were weird.

_Several moments later…_

They were still talking and not even paying any attention to the screens.

“She made a barn exploded when she lived with us the first time, experimenting with animal droppings.”

“No way! How old was she?”

“Six.”

“A child bomber. Now that is wicked.” Nami uttered admiringly.

 **[** Excuse me. **]**

It was Natasha’s turn to list the things she had to endure in regards to Daisy. “I had to babysit her dangerous pet when she had to leave him behind and Wanda was not available. He and Liho did not see eye to eye and trashed our apartment.”

“She has a pet? Since when?”

“Yep. Since she went to space the first time.”

“I see. What do you mean dangerous?”

“He’s the same species as Fury’s cat.” Maria bobbed her head as comprehension dawned.

“A dangerous cat-like being?” Nami tilted her head. Natasha nodded. “I saw some before. Very useful too. They can tap into other dimensions. You could use him to go to these worlds, although it might not be a smooth ride with a lot of trials and errors.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But on the upside, you got me.” The spirit smiled complacently. The couple just rolled their eyes but on the inside they did appreciate Nami’s help.

“Now that he and Liho are best buddies, things have gotten better. They're very quiet and usually won't bother with anything but put them in the same room together with someone they don't like, they are troublemakers. And they still trashed the apartment.”

“Sharon has Liho but I don’t see any other cat before we came to get you.” Maria was perplexed. So did Natasha. She must have someone she trusted taking care of him. That girl adored the fluffball.

A few moments passed as they talked about pets.

 **[** Ladies **]**

“Months after she deleted herself, Nana found her and brought her home. I was still in the Marines and was home between tours. So, we went to a carnival once. There was this snake charmer.”

“I think I’ll like where this is going.” Natasha’s eyes were sparkling with mirthful anticipation.

“They said both Daisy and the snake guy were at fault. I still think it was mostly hers. She did not believe that the music from the flute caused the snakes to move like that. The man didn’t agree. Naturally, she challenged him and didn’t back down when he refused until he reluctantly relented.”

“How?” Nami asked. This was interesting. That girl really was a troublemaker.

“By playing a different tune. With a harmonica she pilfered from the shooting stall nearby. And she was terrible at it.”

“She still is.” Natasha chuckled.

“The snakes did move to that tune but not the way she wanted. They turned violent. Even the music flowing from the flute of the charmer didn’t manage to calm them down.”

“Oh dear. What happened then?” Nami was intrigued.

“Pandemonium happened and I got bruises from being elbowed and stomped on. The snakes, two deadly cobras, flung themselves out of the baskets. Obviously, everybody ran to save their lives but not Daisy. That little shit just stood there transfixed. She even played the harmonica again." Natasha gave Maria a knowing look. That girl was reckless and stubborn.

"Surprisingly, the snakes stopped and stared at her before gliding towards her. Not long after that, the charmer played his flute. I think both snakes got confused and they leapt towards him, who happened to be standing next to me.”

“Did you get bitten?”

“Hell no. I shot them. Luckily with an unregistered gun, not my service one. Nana always had one of those handy. Then, I dragged her home but not before she said to the poor snake charmer that she won the challenge. She even apologized about the dead cobras. I still have no idea how she could look triumphant and apologetic at the same time.”

“I’d say she learned from the best, being a part of the clan and all.”

“Oh my. Not gonna lie. She is pretty impressive at creating trouble.” Nami shook her head.

“I remembered wanting to knock her for tempting death and causing such a mess." They laughed softly at that. "I did that anyway on the way home plus a few other things I had her do as punishment for a month.”

“What? She was grounded?”

“Of course. A month of staying at home, no computers except for doing schoolwork, doing everything I said, every chore I gave, every training I forced her to take. Military style.”

“I'm surprise she took that in her stride.”

“Not at first. She sulked for a week, which puzzled everyone in the house. No one knew about the snake incident. Nana even cooked her favorite food every day to cheer her up. That little shit soaked up the attention like a starved kid.” Maria smiled fondly. “But later I knew she enjoyed the training because I had to force her to take it easy.”

 **[** Can you hear me? **]**

“Before she joined SHIELD, I had to bail her out from lockup once.” Natasha continued their walk down memory lane.

“What? Again? When was this? How come I didn’t know? And why was she arrested?”

“You and Sharon were on a mission that time. Obviously, she didn’t want you to find out. She purposely started a bar brawl. For a job. I suspect a questionable one. She was with her mentor by the way.”

“Which one?”

“Does she have anyone else?”

“Well, she has two known mentors that we’re not allowed to talk about.”

 **[** Excuse me ladies. **]**

“Of course, Daisy would do anything for them. And honestly, they are fun to be around.”

“So, which one she got arrested with?”

“The hacker.”

“Of course. So, I take it there was no record in the system?”

“Naturally. She would make sure there is no police record of them. She most certainly simply erased any records of the arrest.”

“For someone reckless, she’s quite protective of Daisy. Did a good job teaching her to survive and taking care of Daisy for almost a year before Nana found her, which is bizarre in and of itself, what with her profession and penchant for anything thrilling.”

“She’s reformed now. She found her faith – though a questionable one. Found love with your Corp. buddy no less. Saved the world from an AI apocalypse once. Still helping people nowadays though mostly behind the scene.

 **[** Excuse me. **]**

“One of the coolest things I saw Daisy did was disintegrating things to nothingness. But she rarely does that.”

“Like what she did to the flying fake city in that comic world?” Nami inquired.

“Yep.”

“The stupidest thing she ever did was probably during her suicidal goth phase.”

“But she survived. Just to be more reckless than ever now. The things she does in space are no small matter.”

“Now that you mentioned that, what is this Space Menace stuff? They called her that when we busted Trip and Wanda from prison.”

“Now, that …”

And they continued ignoring the AI.

_A lifetime later…_

“What was the weirdest, out of this world thing you have ever done?”

“Everything I did was out of this world.” Nami shrugged her answer. It was true anyway. She was not from this world.

“Aside from the usual stuff, I once kidnapped a couple of girls to lure Death.” Natasha said casually.

“You wanted to die!? What the hell were you thinking?” Maria was shocked.

“Not to die. Death as in the God of Death.” She clarified.

“Huh?” Even Nami blinked at that.

“For real?”

“Well, more like Goddess of Death.”

“Like the Grim Reaper? Why on earth would you invite Her to come to you?”

 **[** If you could pay your attention here for a while… **]**

“You were gone and I missed you. Three years on, there was still no clue on how to bring you back to life.”

When Natasha’s voice cracked as she was remembering the last five years alone, Maria wrapped her arms around her wife comfortingly. They stayed that way for a few moments before Maria spoke.

“I thought you knew that I’d come back.”

“Yeah, but still…I got to try.”

“Even with something as supernatural as calling Death? Were you out of your mind?”

“Since when is that relevant? Besides, it was during the lowest point of my life.”

 **[** Hello? **]**

“But why? What happened then?”

“I heard of a story of people who died and then resurrected. For the two girls, both their fathers died and woke up in different bodies. Apparently, Death arranged that because She wanted to reunite the girls who we later learned are the star-crossed lovers destined to find each other for eternity. Not that She succeeded every lifetime. But this time, they were reunited, not without hardships by the way.”

“So, you wanted Her to do what? Find my soul so that She can revive me in a different body?”

“Well, yeah, though I’d prefer the original you. But, it ended up being a waste. Ramona and Daisy caught up to us and stopped everything.”

“Thank goodness.”

“Besides, I didn’t even know how to summon a spirit, let alone a goddess. That’s Ramona’s expertise.”

“Then, why on earth did you even think of it?” The redhead simply shrugged. She had no idea what had gotten into her that day.

“Is the story about the fathers real?”

“Yeah, the girls confirmed it. So did Ramona. Now that I think about it, how did she know?” She crinkled the bridge of her nose.

“Perhaps her nature as people of the Light as F.I.L.I.A. mentioned got something to do with it.” Nami suggested.

“Hmm, this is worth finding out.”

 **[** Have you all turned deaf? Can’t you hear me? **]**

The ASI sounded confused. She thought that maybe the speakers and the earpieces were not working. So, She ran a quick scan of Her system. Finding that everything was in good condition, She sighed – if an artificial intelligence could sigh. But her attempt was close enough to sound human.

_An eternity later…_

Their conversation had turned to a competition.

“What was the most badass thing you ever did?” Natasha asked her companions.

“I can go to the worlds connected to the Infinity Stones without having to follow the loop.” Nami said nonchalantly.

“The loop?”

“Yes. The infinity-shaped loop. You can only go to the worlds that are next to each other on the loop. Plus, you need to have something that connects you from one world to another.”

“There is such a loop?”

“And rules…”

The spirit nodded. “Why do you think they’re called Infinity stones?”

“Because of their infinite power.”

“True but also because the circuit is in the shape of infinity.” Nami explained further.

Both women were glad that they didn’t have to follow the rules to travel to those worlds. It made them appreciate Nami a bit more.

“What about you girls?”

“Being married to her.” Maria said, pointing to the redhead.

“Excuse me?”

“No one was brave enough to approach you. You were this enigma that people are still not sure about today. I heard some agents discussed about it the other day. How they are still terrified of you. They just didn’t know that you are such a cutie cuddly bear.”

“Something must be wrong with you. I am not cute. I’m a badass.” Natasha protested, but Maria continued as if she wasn’t interrupted.

“Besides, do you remember everything we’ve been through? The danger and deluded people who wanted to harm us?”

“Yeah. I guess being strong-minded and strong-willed are some of your traits that I admire.” And both of them started staring at each other, lost in their own bubble, faces moving nearer until Nami cleared her throat.

“How about you Natasha?”

“I’m the Black Widow. Everything I do is badass.”

“I turned to dust and resurrected. Top that.”

“Huh! I become the soul of a planet.” Natasha would not be bested.

“Well, I blew myself up and the world ended with me.” Nami drawled self-importantly.

Natasha and Maria looked at Nami, jaws dropped with admiration clear in their eyes. Whether it was true or not, that did sound really impressively top notch badassery.

 **[** Umm, girls? **]**

Clearly, the sound of mechanical throat clearing didn’t reach their ears.

“Did you know that Daisy dragged me to deal with a supernatural case once?”

Both the spirit and the commander raised their eyebrows, intrigued.

“Demonic fairies. The whole town sits within this triangle where all these weird things happen. I had no idea what she thought I could help there. I am no demon hunter for goodness sake. At least I got to shoot them demons. That was fun. Not that it killed any of them.”

 **[** Excuse me. **]**

The tone could be interpreted as exasperated if only the women paid attention. Alas, they didn’t. These people could really talk when they wanted to. The ASI tried a few more times to get their attention. They went from talking about Her creator to what the most badass thing they ever did to supernatural stuff. There was no pattern. So, She did the best thing that She could do.

A searing noise infiltrated their earpieces causing them to double over from the pain. For the second time that day!

“What the hell was that?” Natasha winced.

 **[** Can you hear me now? **]**

A self-satisfied tone tinged the ASI’s question.

“Did you have to do that?” They were rubbing their ears and temples as the effect of the aural and static attack gradually left them. As it was, it appeared only F.I.L.I.A. managed to cause bodily harm to the spirit when nobody else could.

 **[** Excuse me. I’ve been trying to get your attention for hours now. **]**

The ASI sounded petulant.

“Oh, don’t be dramatic. It was only a few minutes.”

And the ASI actually huffed dramatically. Did Daisy add a new string of code to its program? It acted very humanlike at times. More than ever these days.

“What is it though?”

 **[** Lancelot found something. **]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The incident with the snake was a real experience. A friend of mine always wants proof when she comes across something that doesn’t conform to her 'scientific' mind. The only difference is that the snake charmer managed to calm the snake and nobody was harmed except one little baby snake – trampled by the scampering audience and a few messed up stalls. Obviously, they were very angry and would demand compensation but we already vamoosed before they caught us.


	29. Beating The Odds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are still in the middle of a competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ] – mechanical voice
> 
> // // – talking through comms or coming from the screen
> 
> Mazoku – demon race
> 
> ASI – Artificial Superintelligence

**_At the Arena_ **

**[** Lancelot found something. **]**

Nami, Natasha and Maria instantaneously focused on one of the screens. A live broadcast from the dwarf they rerouted to Trip and Red Skull’s location was on display. The lively conversation they had before was put to the back of their minds as they viewed the footage in alarm.

“Oh my god!”

“That doesn’t look good.”

On the screen, it was a disaster zone.

“Any sign of Trip and Red Skull?”

 **[** None so far. **]**

They watched for any signs of movement on the screen, concern was evidenced on their countenance. They prayed for a miracle that both Trip and Red Skull were not severely injured in the explosion, but more than not, they hoped the boys were still alive.

 **[** Movement detected. **]**

“Focus on it.”

~~~~####~~~~

**_At the blast site_ **

He found it difficult to breathe. Greedily gulping the air, he calmed his heartbeat. Since meeting the team, that organ had been overworked and it wasn’t even noon yet. Sometimes, he sort of missed being a spirit. All the years spent on Vormir, he never had to exert so much energy or deal with bodily pain. A few weeks with these people, he had gone through a lot of things that even his villainous 1940s self would deem too much.

He was brought out of his musing when a soft whimper of pain reached his ears. He tried to get up but he couldn’t. His attempt was hindered by a block of concrete on his torso. No wonder he had trouble breathing. Luckily, he had the serum or else he could probably be dead by now. Although he wondered how long had it been since he passed out.

Steadying himself, he pushed the concrete off of him, got up and studied his surroundings. The massive explosion actually threw them more than forty feet away from the edge of the blast radius. The building they were in minutes ago was totaled. A large hole replaced the concrete structure. Around them, mountains of debris littered the ground.

He remained standing, still trying to locate Trip and the sound of pain he heard earlier. A movement on his periphery made him hurried in its direction, hoping that it was his partner. That hope crumbled when he saw one of their attackers lying prone next to a weapon and one of those flying thing the team used. It looked broken but he’d better salvaged any remaining parts of that machine.

Red Skull picked up the weapon and the device. Then, he inspected the man. At least he thought it was a man with a feather-like feature for hair. He was not a medical expert but he could tell that the man would live. Probably. If help came soon before he expired or before he became victim to the elements. It wasn’t his problem nor did he have any obligations to help. So, he searched the man for the badge they were supposed to procure and went on to search for Trip once he found it.

He found the second member of the opposite team nearer the hole that used to be the large building. In three separate parts. There might be more but he couldn’t be bothered to take a look. Red Skull recalled that he was further inside the building before the explosion. There was nothing he could do to help him. He probably died the minute it went boom.

So, he searched all three body parts for the badge. It was icky to touch such mangled remains of a feather-headed alien but the badge was essential. Once found, he refocused on finding Trip. It was amazing how the badge remained in one piece after everything that happened.

Ten minutes passed and he still could not locate Trip. Then, 15 minutes gone by and yet Trip was nowhere to be found. He hoped the man was still alive. He knew the team wouldn’t take it easily if he was dead. He did find some weapons that were still intact lying among the debris. Finding them in working condition after a quick check, he took them with him. Those might come in handy later.

Almost an hour since he began his search, Red Skull saw a ray of hope. A contraption similar to the one that got damaged flew above him towards the tree line. Tracking its trajectory, a hand dangle atop a tree branch caught his sight. He jogged to the tree and found Trip hung on a large branch. He quickly pulled him down and laid him on the ground.

Well, he tried. He would have been successful if it was not because of the climbers wrapping itself around Trip’s torso. It was what helped the man to stay on the tree. So, he cut it with a knife he hid in his boot. The fact that it managed to coil itself around the man in just a short time since the explosion escaped him; or when the plant recoiled and retreated further away from them fairly quickly.

He checked the dark-skinned man for pulse and other injuries. Finding a strong pulse, he let go a relieved sigh. Trip’s right arm, which was resting against the tree bark bent unnaturally, broken in two places. He was pretty sure they broke cleanly. There was no other serious injury either except some scratches, bruises and contusions.

He had to wait until Trip was awake to see if he had any internal damages. The arm needed to be treated immediately but in their situation, he had to improvise. He scanned the area looking for something to wrap the arm.

The flying machine stopped near them. A light flashed and a voice he recognized called his name through it.

 **//** Red Skull. It’s Romanoff. How’s it going? Are you guys okay? **//**

“As bad as it could get. Trip’s still unconscious. His arm is broken.”

 **//** How bad is it? **//**

“Broken at two places. Looks like a clean break but you’ll never know until we can scan it. This flying machine…it can send the video to you right?”

 **//** It’s called a dwarf and yes, they can transmit visual and audio files to us. **//**

So that was what this thing could do. Very handy.

“Ours were destroyed in the explosion. The earpiece too.”

 **//** Don’t worry. This one will follow you to the meeting point. **//**

Then a mechanical voice entered the conversation.

 **[** There are earpieces too. Check the compartment on its upper body. There’s a very small button hidden under the ink pattern. Do you see it? **]**

That small bit of information seemed to surprise the others as well. Apparently, nobody knew about the hidden compartment.

“Yeah.”

 **//** Push it. **//**

Red Skull pushed the button and a small panel on the dwarf opened, revealing a small storage space. Inside it was a pair of earpieces. He took one out and put it in his ear. Then, he closed the lid. They’d wait until Trip was awake before giving the other one to him.

“Okay. Now what?”

 **//** You have to set Trip’s arm before you can move him. **//**

“I’m not good at this. I’ve never dealt with broken arms before.” He was never good in field medic. “I was a scientist not a doctor.”

 **//** Did I hear broken arm? **//**

Someone else joined their channel.

 **//** Ramona! How are you guys doing? **//**

 **//** Trouble-free at the moment. **//**

The gypsy did sound relaxed, although suspicious sounds could be heard through the comm.

 **//** Miss Ramona, are you going to let me deal with this creature on my own? **//**

An annoyed voice chimed in.

 **//** Obviously. You just watched when we came across that giant half an hour ago. Now, it’s my turn to watch. **//**

Ramona seemed content to ignore Xellos and the creature he was fighting as she continued to talk.

 **//** So, whose arm is broken? **//**

“Trip. And I don’t really know how to help him.”

 **//** Well, first, you need to set the bones. Then, wrap it with something to hold it in place. Followed by a sling. I take it Trip isn’t conscious? **//**

He answered affirmatively.

 **//** Is there anything you can use to wrap the arm? **//**

“My cape?”

 **//** That could be used as a sling. Now, is there any plant with large leaves near you? **//**

“There might be. There are so many trees around us.”

That was not a helpful reply. So, Ramona asked F.I.L.I.A. to mirror the feed from the dwarf to her tablet. She then instructed the device to scan the area for something they could use on Trip. They could all see the place through the footage relayed by the dwarf.

 **//** Did you see that plant? _Crinum asiaticum_. The one that looks like spider lily, I think you call it. With leaves that look like pandan leaves but a lot bigger? **//**

“What the hell is pandan leaves?”

 **//** Fragrant long green grasslike leaf. Usually grow in a bunch. **//**

Maria helpfully supplied. She loved to use them in some of her cooking. Something she learned from a friend while in college.

 **//** There, to your right. **//**

Ramona pointed the location of the plant to Red Skull.

 **[** I’ll move Lancelot to it. Just follow where he goes. Ramona, if you may, lead the way. **]**

So, the dwarf moved towards the plant Ramona told Red Skull to use on Trip. There were a few of them and all of them stood around 1 – 2 meters tall.

 **//** We just need the leaves. I guess one or two would be enough. But take more for later. Once you set the bones, wrap the arm with the leaf. It acts as an emollient and will help the healing process. At least until we meet up later so that I can heal the bones properly. **//**

Ramona instructed Red Skull on which part they needed. Satisfied with that explanation, Red Skull reached for the plant.

 **//** Just be careful though. Almost the entire plant is toxic, especially the bulb. Do not touch the bulb. **//**

Ramona cautioned so suddenly.

“You couldn’t tell me that before I touched it?” Red Skull said, a little irritated with the delay.

 **//** Sorry, I just remembered that part. **//**

 **//** How the hell something poisonous heals broken bones? **//**

Natasha was puzzled. Well, anybody would. How on earth could a leaf – poisonous, mind you – heal broken bones?

 **//** Didn’t they say that every medicine has its harmful side and every poison could have medicinal value? **//**

Nami suggested. Now, ain’t that the truth? They always heard of people misusing medicines and got addicted.

 **//** True. The leaf is not poisonous though. It won’t heal broken bones. Well, it could over long period. In some parts of the world, humans have been using them for many centuries for many kinds of treatments. Broken bones included. They’d usually layer it with a little oil and warm it over fire. It does help to sooth the pain. I know that personally because I used the leaves before. **//**

Ramona then began explaining to the others how the properties of the leaf work to reduce pain, particularly to mollify their skepticism. Afterwards, F.I.L.I.A. added more information about its medicinal values.

 **[** The leaves are also good to treat swellings, muscle pains, as rheumatic remedy and to relieve local pain, lumbago pains and in case of headache and fever, among others. You can also make it into poultice. **]**

“Ramona, this one doesn’t have a bulb.”

 **//** Must be a different species then. It’s usually quite small, hidden under its petals. But better that way. We don’t have to deal with any toxicity. **//**

“What if this one has leaves that are toxic? Since it doesn’t have a bulb.”

 **//** Only if you consumed it. Anyway, those plants look like the one I’m familiar with. **//**

“Are you sure?” His question was answered by Ramona unequivocally. Then, F.I.L.I.A. shared more facts about the wonder plant. 

**[** Eaten by mistake can cause vomiting, abdominal pain, severe diarrhea after constipation, irregular breathing, rapid pulse, rising body temperature. A great deal of misuse can cause nervous system paralysis and death. But not the leaves. **]**

Feeling confident with that information, Red Skull snipped a few of the leaves and returned to Trip’s side, awaiting further instruction from the gypsy. Following her flash first aid lesson, he set the bones as best as he could, wrapped it with the leaves Ramona told him to use. He then took off his cape and fashioned it as a sling to secure the hand from moving and further injury.

Once that was all done, he slapped Trip softly to wake him up. It took a few times before the agent’s eyes fluttered open. The man was disoriented and groaned at the discomfort from the effect of the explosion. It took him a while to cry out in pain as he slowly realized his arm was throbbing madly and then proceeded to stare dagger at the offending injury in the makeshift sling.

After a few moments of panic, painful movements and storytelling by Red Skull, Trip calmed down. Trip assured him and the others that he was fine and they went on their way towards the meeting point once they were rested enough.

He also handed the other earpiece to Trip, which sort of surprised the man for he never knew the dwarf had a hidden compartment. It appeared that Fitz had outdone himself with the new generation dwarfs. With two extra badges in their hands and some alien weapons, the two unlikely partners walked away from the blast site albeit with a slower gait and less one working appendage.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Meanwhile, back at the Arena_ **

**//** Where are Daisy and Wanda? **//**

Trip asked as they watched him walked away from the blast site.

 **//** I don’t recall hearing them since we started. **//**

Ramona added. It was unusual for both of them to be in total silence especially when the other team members were in crises.

“Supposedly, they’re fine.” Maria said dryly.

“She meant very fine.” Natasha snorted.

 **//** I could hear an underlying meaning to that. What aren’t you telling us? **//**

Nobody answered. The lull in the moment was a bit uncomfortable. Maria was quite embarrassed. Daisy was her little sister. She didn’t want to know what the woman did during her time alone with Wanda. She didn’t need that information. Natasha was exasperated and amused at the same time.

Both women were amazed that the girls actually indulged themselves in the middle of a competition. It wasn’t that the married couple never did something similar before while on missions, but at least there was no witness or proof. It helped that they very rarely worked on operations together when they were S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.

If they were to pull the data F.I.L.I.A. collected, it would be very clear what they were doing at the moment. Or at least before they reconnected the communication with the boys. Nami just seemed confused. The couple didn’t tell her anything new about the girls’ situation.

 **//** Hello? **//**

 **//** Are they okay? **//**

Now both Trip and the gypsy sounded worried and curious at the same time.

“Yeah, they’re really fine.” Natasha said while rolling her eyes.

However, that reply did not satisfy the gypsy nor did it soothe the worry in Trip’s mind. It took the ever helpful oversharing artificial superintelligence to explain the whereabouts of Daisy and Wanda, and the state of affairs they were currently in.

 **[** Daisy and Wanda are currently in a cabin they found not far from the woods they were sent to. Currently, their breathing, pulse rate and blood pressure are through the roof. There is an unusually increased activity in their limbic system. **]**

“The what?” Now Nami was puzzled. That was a strange word she never heard.

 **[** Limbic system – the area of your brain that is responsible for memory, fear, aggression, and other emotions. **]**

The ASI so helpfully supplied.

 **//** So, you’re saying they’re in a fight right now? **//**

That did sound like the likely situation, if Natasha and Maria didn’t know that the girls, as the ASI stated, were having ‘fun’.

“Yeah, with each other.” Natasha muttered under her breath. That caused Maria to chuckle softly.

 **[** Not quite. Their heartbeats are over the charts, causing an increase in their blood pressure and breathing. **]**

“That is something to be concerned with.” Trip said, expressing his worry.

 **[** They’re also releasing a large dose of oxytocin, dopamine, serotonin and epinephrine. **]**

 **//** Oxytoxin and adrenaline? Hold on. OMG! Really? So, the usual then. **//**

Now, the gypsy sounded amused. She seemed to really get it. It also told Maria and Nami that this was not atypical with Daisy and Wanda on a mission together.

 **[** Yes. **]**

 **//** I don’t understand. What’s that supposed to mean? **//**

The gypsy simply chuckled softly at Trip’s confusion.

 **//** Are you saying you don’t know what that means? **//**

Even Red Skull understood the situation the girls were in at the moment. He knew those words and what caused them.

 **[** All those symptoms and chemical reactions can only be concluded that they are indulging in an activity unsuitable for public eyes. Or ears. **]**

 **//** Wait, are you saying that they’re … **//**

He trailed off, not willing to say out loud what was suddenly dawned in his mind.

 **[** Yes. They are– **]**

 **//** No! You don’t have to tell me that. Eww, I don’t want to know what those two do behind closed doors. **//**

 **[** What makes you think they close the door? **]**

If an artificial intelligence could sound cheeky, F.I.L.I.A. would be one. She was even worse than other A.I.s they knew. Natasha was pretty sure Daisy added some extra code to her programming to make her behaved that way.

 **//** Oh my. I didn’t know Daisy could be that spicy. And Wanda looks prudent and gentle. Both seem like private persons for them to be doing that in the middle of a competition no less. I approve. **//**

Only Xellos would applaud someone indulging on their base desire at inappropriate times. Not that his stamp of approval was important. However, it did endear them to the mazoku a bit more. At least they had these dark natures he found appealing. Perhaps they didn’t have to worry about him betraying them then.

It was at that precise moment after he said that, the girls’ comm was turned on. Or more precisely Daisy’s, as suspicious sounds reverberating throughout their entire communication channel. That woman probably accidentally turned it on during so much excitement. Or maybe it was Wanda. You couldn’t tell with these two.

However, it did put the others immediately into action. Maria told F.I.L.I.A. to switch off the microphone function on both Daisy and Wanda’s earpieces. Trip facepalmed in embarrassment and took his earpiece out temporarily. Nami finally understood everything. Natasha and Ramona laughed at the absurdity of the current moment while Red Skull simply smiled at the team's theatrics. And the errant couple didn’t even realize that they were busted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We now know what happened to the 4 fighters. What about the girls? Find out about their adventure in the next chapter.


	30. Fun in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda and Daisy’s adventure in the woods.

**_Location: Unknown_ **

**_Time:_ ** **_±_ ** **_4.5 hours after the round started._ **

“Do you think we could ask for royalties if they sold any film of us in there?”

“Daisy! That is not helping. There is no recording device in the cabin.”

“Are you sure? What if there was and we didn’t detect it since we’re preoccupied with each other?” The Sokovian stiffened. There were so many thoughts circulating in her mind. Then, seemingly to have made up her mind, she pivoted on her heels and started walking back towards the cabin.

“Where are you going?” Daisy hurried after Wanda.

“I’m going to destroy the cabin. Let there be nothing left. No cabin, no camera, no film of our private time.” She hissed through gritted teeth.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down.” Daisy held her waist. It wasn’t that easy as Wanda simply dragged the Inhuman, still wrapping her hands around her. This was not a good idea.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Earlier that day_ **

_Location #3: Somewhere in the outer area of the Arena_

_Time: The same time everyone was ghosted out of the Arena._

_ Hour: 01 _

They found themselves surrounded by vegetation. Tall and bushy weird looking trees as far as their eyes could see. This was just great. Of all places they could be sent to, they ended up in the woods. Oh, they were not opposed to be in the middle of nowhere for some alone time. But still, it wasn’t the right moment and they had their opponents to worry about too.

There was no visible road from their location except a tiny animal trail. At least they believed it was an animal trail. There were paw prints, some hooves lookalike and something similar to human footprints, just a tad weirdly shaped.

Not only they had no idea where they were, they didn’t even know which direction to go. And the trees were blocking the sunlight. So it was a bit dark and hot there. And their tactical suit added to the discomfort. They had to get out of the woods. It was getting uncomfortable underneath all those trees. Now, that seemed to be too much work and they had to get to the meeting point, hopefully with extra badges if they were lucky to meet the other team.

“So...” She trailed of.

“So?” Daisy raised her eyebrows, prompting Wanda to continue.

“Let’s just get out of here.”

The Inhuman sighed then smiled, causing Wanda to look at her curiously, which made her smiled wider.

“What?”

“I just never imagined having a stroll in strange woods with my girlfriend.” She grinned, bumping their shoulders affectionately.

“A stroll?” Wanda rolled her eyes. “More like jungle trekking.” She looked around them and added, “and in a different world too.”

Daisy simply grinned. “Take it as an adventure. Not many people would have this experience.”

There was a glint of excitement in her eyes. Wanda should have guessed that her adventurous girlfriend would find their situation as something exciting. Although she did hope that it didn’t turn out as a misadventure. But with their luck, she wouldn’t want to jinx it.

Wanda gazed at Daisy adoringly. It was nice when she was like this. Excited to explore even when the road ahead was an unknown. Even though it was a reckless thing to do. She knew that she would follow her in whatever adventure that caught the Inhuman’s interest. Besides, she always had fun when she did so.

Even after a couple of years together, she still had a hard time believing that it was possible. They didn’t really get as much chance as they wish to spend time just the two of them with how busy their schedules were. With Daisy always on missions, they didn’t get enough moment to enjoy just being together, especially when she went off world. Being apart for a long stretch of time was common for them although they tried their best to minimize that. Hence the space trips and missions she willingly let herself being roped into.

It didn’t really matter when or where, as long as she could spend time with Daisy, she was pretty happy. Although it would be better if they were not in the middle of nowhere.

Little did the women know that they were only on the outskirt of a town. And if they looked carefully enough, well mostly, if they were lucky, they would have seen their way out. Directly out of there heading towards the main road that would bring them straight to the town. Alas, they didn’t. The woods didn’t want them to.

“We better dispatch the dwarfs. They could lead us the way out. Probably.”

They also turned on their communication devices. But, it didn’t work.

“Perhaps the trees blocked the signal.”

“What about the dwarfs?” Wanda asked Daisy who was busy configuring something on her tablet.

She directed the dwarfs to go far up beyond the tall tree line trying to get a signal. It took a few trials and reconfigurations before they got any hint of a signal. There were a lot of hiccups and a longer time than they'd liked but they did it.

“Yes! Got it.” They fist bumped.

“I know you can do it. Imagine if I was sent here alone, and that device doesn’t work, I would have panicked.”

“I’m sure you would think of something. You’re more resourceful than you think you are.”

“I don’t really understand this sort of thing. This is too technical. Troubleshooting would be very troublesome.”

“Well, it’s a simple matter of placing the dwarfs at the right spot and harnessing their capability to detect the signals or a frequency similar to them like a radio frequency. In this case, it all goes through F.I.L.I.A. Jr. I’m not really sure it’d work though because I haven’t got the chance to test it yet except that one time before we started this journey.”

“What about yesterday at the Arena? It worked just fine.”

“That was within a small perimeter and we had our own mini receiver dish. Suffice to say that it was an easy setup. So, that didn’t count because now we are at a large unknown territory. Without a satellite, the signals may not be clear enough if we are too far from the Arena.”

Wanda nodded in comprehension. “But do they have one here?”

“As surprising and as medieval this place looks, it is pretty advance in sci tech. So, yeah, they have two up there.” Daisy assured her. “I already programmed everything so that we can tap onto any of the satellites, just in case. Natasha and F.I.L.I.A. are supposed to patch our communication network securely through the satellites if the signals are too weak for the receiver dish to receive directly.”

“I see. What I still don’t get is how come we have F.I.L.I.A. here? Didn’t we leave her back on Vormir?”

“We did. The one we have here is just a tiny part of her.”

Wanda was getting confused here. It must have been pretty apparent on her face because Daisy proceeded to explain comprehensively.

“Let me put it this way. Imagine F.I.L.I.A. is a complete program,” she paused before she continued proudly, “well, she is.”

Wanda nodded, signalling her understanding and for Daisy to proceed.

“Before we started this quest, I copied and compressed her codes to a smaller size on a different device, like an external hard drive for example. So now, how many F.I.L.I.A. do we have?”

“Two. One is the original, another one is the copy.” Wanda answered. She was starting to understand this technical mumbo jumbo.

“Correct. Now, since Copy F.I.L.I.A. is compressed, she doesn’t have the full capacity or processing power as the original one. Nor that she’d have unlimited information of the world we are in unless they have satellites here that she can tap into. That is why I added extra codes to her for the quest. However, they are one and the same. Later, when we return to the Zephyr, I’ll merge both F.I.L.I.A.s – all codes and data. And in doing so, there won’t be any gaps in her database or memory.”

“That makes sense.”

“The only problem we’re facing by doing this is how to have it connected to enough source of electricity and where to store the makeshift server. That’s where my sling bag comes into the equation.”

“The one Ramona gave you when you were a kid?”

“The very one.”

“Wait, that was like what? Almost 30 years ago? How the heck does she still look that young? She has to be in her fifties.” Wanda was puzzled.

“Ah…you have to ask her that. She does look the same though. Except the hair. Last time, she was blonde, short and with bangs, sort of.” She furred her forehead. “I think they call it pixie cut nowadays.”

“You know who she really is?” She suspected the Inhuman must have known or at least had an inkling of who the gypsy really was.

Daisy simply shrugged. “I have my theory, but it isn’t my story to tell.”

Then, they continued talking about the connection between the sling bag of wonder and F.I.L.I.A. Jr.’s digital network. Daisy explained to her giddily. It appeared that they stored some sort of an energy source inside the pocket dimension where they stashed the server and a bunch of other stuff within the bag. What kind of sources, her girlfriend didn’t tell except that it was something she came across the first time she went to space.

People always thought that Daisy was just a hacker. Unbeknownst to most, she was a genius that rivaled their resident scientists at S.H.I.E.L.D. or even the science duo in the Avengers. She helped in designing and building many inventions and equipment at S.H.I.E.L.D. discreetly. Nowadays, the topic of her contribution in the brain department of the organization was a bit more open – but only to some agents – and it always astonished them. Who knew Agent Johnson actually comprehended and able to stand toe to toe with Fitz and Simmons in talking science!

She even built her own computer and had an A.I. up and running whilst still a teenager. It was not information that was out in the open. Wanda only knew that when the bedridden Daisy blurted her teenage year’s secret while being high on drugs after an injury.

And as per the usual norm of people with brilliant brains, she willingly involved in many occasions that were bordering (some were actual) felony under the notions of test and experiment. Being a part of the Carter clan, plus her time on the street and her involvement with a questionable mentor during her formative years didn’t really help her to be on the straight and narrow – most of the time.

When one really looked at the reality, if you were a hacker, then you were a genius of a kind. They did need to know more than one language in programming. And Daisy, she was fluent in many. But she always acted as if she was just a normal person and being a school dropout, people assumed that she was not bright enough. Nevertheless, she did have the certificates to prove them wrong. Needless to say, she shamelessly took advantage of that misconception. If only they knew who she really was, they wouldn’t underestimate her.

“You are such a nerd.” Wanda said affectionately.

“Ah, but I’m your nerd.” She leaned down and pecked Wanda’s lips, which when it came to them, would totally turn into a make out session. At least this time, it was just a few kisses – very tame if she said so herself – before they got to work.

Before they started walking, they turned on their comms. After relaying to the rest of the crew their possible location and made sure the feeds from dwarfs reached them back at the Arena, they turned off the mic function. They didn’t want to subject the team to their flirting again. It had been known to happen once or twice.

Oh who was she kidding? It happened many times. It was embarrassing. And then to have to face the others after that… Nope. No way. Wanda was not going through that again. It was better to have one-way communication for now. At least they could still hear the others. Listening to the argument between Xellos and Ramona was always fun.

And as if the forest knew that they started moving, thin fog arrived out of nowhere and surrounded them. Suddenly, it was quite chilly and they could feel the cold dense atmosphere bearing onto them. Right. As if finding the way out was not hard enough. It was just their luck, now they had to have limited visibility to do so too. See. They were very lucky – in reverse.

_ Hour: 02 _

“Why do I feel like we’re walking in circles?” Daisy asked, disturbing the silence.

“That’s because we are. We passed through this place three times already.”

“How do you know that?”

“I recognize that tree and that group of boulders.”

“What’s so special about them?”

“The tree is bent in such a way with the twigs twirled around each other making it look like a wrinkly old person trying to swing a baseball bat. There are fruits right in front of the one that looks like the bat. They do look like baseballs. Even the color is similar.” Then she pointed a few degrees to the left. “And those boulders are grouped in a circle. In the middle of it is a flower garden, which is suspect because why is there a garden in the middle of the woods?”

“That makes sense. And you’re right. This garden is suspicious. How come I only see this now?” She puckered her brows at her inattentiveness to her surroundings.

“You were engrossed in your tablet.”

Daisy was tracing their steps by studying the data sent by Percival and Lancelot, the dwarfs they tasked to lead the way. She didn’t think she’d be too occupied with it and didn’t pay attention to where they were going. Besides, she was confident in Wanda’s capability to keep them safe. 

“Which way should we go then?”

“Both dwarfs do not detect anything weird.” The Inhuman frowned. “And that other drone is always behind us.”

“What drone?”

“That one.” Daisy pointed behind her shoulder.

“Does it belong to the organizer or the other team?” Wanda didn’t even realize it was there before Daisy told her.

“The organizer, I think. There is a logo above it exactly like the one we see at the Arena. Probably here to relay the footage to the spectators.”

Daisy looked around confusingly. “Which direction we haven’t taken?”

“The one behind the garden.” She tilted her head towards that direction. There was a wide enough trail, very neat and bordered by bushels of colorful flowers interspersed with beautiful red-and-white-dotted mushrooms. Like the ones in those fairytales she used to read years ago. It was unnerving.

“I swear it wasn’t there before.” Wanda was frowning. She did not like this. This woods was creepy, like it was playing with them. However, they had no other choice. It was the only path they could see around the area. Besides, the dwarfs also headed that way. So, they took the path and being more alert than ever.

It was a few minutes later when they were caught in the rain. It then turned into a hailstorm that pelted them with hailstones. Some of them were as big as tennis balls. They pulled up a barrier above their head and quickened their steps. It was not without mishaps, unfortunately.

They fell and slipped into muddy potholes and on those flowers and mushrooms. When that happened, the surprise caused them to let up the shield momentarily and they were barraged by chunks of ice as well as unknown fruits, twigs and branches, plus other things they couldn’t discern. They also stepped on something that released some sort of gas or liquid or maybe tiny particles – they were not sure which it was. They just hoped it wasn’t poisonous. In short, they ended up looking like a pair of drowned rats.

They managed to get the dwarfs under the shield, only a few grazes tainted the paint while the other drone went haywire when an ice chunk dropped on it. It fell near Daisy’s feet and ended up being accidentally smashed beyond repair into the muddy ground.

“Oops…didn’t mean to do that.” Daisy grimaced. Then, she shrugged as though it was nothing important. “Oh well, at least it was not Percival or Lancelot.” And she leaned into Wanda’s personal space and simpered. “Now that we don’t have outside prying eyes, I can do this.” She gave her a lingering kiss and winked mischievously afterwards.

They continued their trek in companionable silence, with occasional light conversations. After about 20 – 25 minutes, the hail stopped and the rain returned. It helped to wash away the dirt and mud on their clothes. Not long after that, it let up and the trail somehow abruptly came to an end. In its place was a gargantuan and very eerie looking ancient tree. They didn’t see it before they were standing right in front of it as if it simply appeared. They blamed the hailstorm and the fog that still pervaded the area.

The silence that suddenly permeated the forest sounded very loud in their ears. It accelerated their heartbeat. The groan and undefined sounds coming from the tree sent a spike of fear to their guts. They were pretty much opened to any possibilities of unconventional situations or odd creatures but the notion of fighting a gigantic tree was not something they’d want to experience. If it even capable of doing that. Not that they wanted to find out.

So, they frantically searched around the tree for the next section of the trail, if there was any, but it was to no avail. Not until Wanda saw the same bushels of flowers at the far side of the tree. Since the dwarfs were flying in the same direction, the women deduced that was probably the direction they should take. They followed the devices hurriedly and were glad to see that there was a path.

Their new trail led them to an area with fewer trees. The sunlight bore down on them fiercely. It would be quite unbearable if it was not covered from the harsh sun by weird plants that were too colourful and oozed a fragrant scent they couldn’t identify. It felt like they were walking underneath a rainbow. They never saw anything like it. It gave them the shivers. Those plants also seemed to move in a certain way that was not caused by the wind. In fact, there was no wind. It was eerily still and silent.

On both sides of the path, there were plants that looked uncannily similar to raspberry and blackberry bushes, full of ripe said berries. Daisy of course wanted to taste them. She always loved food.

“Don’t!” Wanda grabbed Daisy’s wrist before she could pluck the berry.

“But those look juicy and I’m hungry.” She whined.

“You just had a big breakfast two hours ago.” The Sokovian huffed in disbelief. “And we don’t know whether those are edible or not.”

“Maybe I could just take a bite and determine that?” The Inhuman innocently suggested.

“It could be poisoned or caused severe reactions. Have you forgotten the puffies? And you reamed me for days after the prison fiasco when I ate one of those.” Wanda glared dagger at the Inhuman.

“Actually, you ate more than one.”

“That is beside the point.” She glowered, giving Daisy the stink eye. “You cannot just eat whatever you find here. We don’t even know this place.”

“Fine.” The woman actually pouted. Maybe she should have just spanked her for acting like a brat. On second thought, that would not work anyway. Daisy would just enjoy it too much. And then nothing would be done. Her mind was bombarded with some of those events. Repressing that thought, she produced a granola bar, put it in the Inhuman’s hand and dragged her girlfriend along the path. Daisy chuckled softly and bussed Wanda’s cheek gratefully.

“Thanks sweetheart.” She let Wanda lugged her, while she devoured the snack.

At the end of the path, there was a ring of trees surrounding a small circle of empty spot in the woods, right next to another small trail sandwiched between lines of trees with red fruits. Some others were white.

“Those look like mistletoes, don’t you think?” Daisy asked, glancing at her furtively.

“Not in the slightest.” Wanda looked at her from the tail of her eyes.

“No, they look exactly like mistletoes.” The Inhuman insisted slyly. “You know what that means?” Her intention was plain as day. Wanda simply twitched an eyebrow and fought to contain her smile.

“You’re just using them as an excuse to kiss me.”

“Well, a gal could always try.” It was typical of Daisy to flirt with her at such inappropriate time. And that husky voice… She rolled her eyes and turned towards Daisy.

“You don’t even need them to do that.” The Sokovian whispered throatily.

Well, who was she to reject that brilliant suggestion. She snatched Daisy’s biceps, leaning her head and pressed her lips on the other woman’s, catching her off guard. Daisy’s eyes widened at the suddenness of it for a second before she returned the kiss passionately.

The brunette wrapped her arms around Wanda’s waist and pulled her closer till there was nothing that could slip pass between them. Wanda’s hand slithered up to the back of Daisy’s neck while the other one cupped her cheek.

And they continued making out for a while, paying no attention to their surroundings. Daisy lowered her hands and squeezed her backside. Wanda typically lost any sense of urgency to get out of the strange woods but to properly enjoy the familiar feel of Daisy’s sensuous lips and the closeness of her strong body flushed to hers. She never said she didn’t want to kiss her girlfriend, regardless of the circumstance they were currently in.

Plus, since the organizer’s drone was no longer following them, none of the audience would see them in such an amorous mood. A little privacy didn’t hurt. She just pushed aside the niggling thought of the dwarfs there relaying everything to the team. They were ahead of them last time she saw the gadgets. Hopefully, they wouldn’t come back to this location soon. Kissing her girlfriend was so much more important that the embarrassment of being watched by their friends anyway. Well, she’d deal with that when the time came. It wasn’t their first time being caught anyways.

When they came up for air and chucked sensibility over their shoulders for the foreseeable future, they followed through with another round. Their teeth were smacking and tongues dueling for dominance. It was intense. Their hands moving over and on each other in frenzy, groping and kneading, building the intensity even higher.

Daisy pushed her to one of the larger trees there. She let out a soft grunt as she felt her back slammed against the rough tree bark. They kissed urgently until Wanda was dizzy with desire, although that could be for the lack of oxygen as well. She gasped when Daisy peppered her throat with kisses. As she felt the zipper of her tactical suit was lowered a fraction, she directed her girlfriend’s lips back to hers. She would never get tired of Daisy’s kisses. Every time, it was like she couldn’t get enough of her.

Goosebumps appeared on her skin due to the chill in the air but she was soon warmed up by Daisy’s hands and mouth and everything that she was doing to her. That woman was so skillful in making her weak in the knees. She knew what Wanda liked and disliked. Granting, there was nothing she didn’t like when she was with Daisy.

When Daisy left wet kisses on her throat again with a hint of teeth, she melted. Wanda threaded her fingers in the brunette’s hair. Her other hand pulled the Inhuman closer to her. She moaned wantonly when Daisy bit near her jugular and sucked on the skin. She was sure it would leave a mark. It also made her blood rushed downwards, awakening certain parts of her body.

She was so turned on, she gasped aloud when Daisy slid a leg between hers. The contact against her nether region was so overwhelming that she whimpered. The friction was very stimulating. And the things Daisy did to her in the meantime were dizzying. It was too much. It overwhelmed her senses that she couldn’t help but to grind against the brunette’s thigh.

Her mind went blank and all she could do was to feel the sensation and lose herself in it.

It was indeed worth the delay to the meeting point and she didn't regret it one bit. Not at all.


	31. From the Woods to the Cabin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ] – mechanical voice
> 
> Mazoku – demon race
> 
> ASI – Artificial Superintelligence

**_Location: Somewhere in the Woods_ **

**_Time:_ ** **_±_ ** **_3 hours after the quarterfinal started._ **

The girls had just finished straightening up their suits and hair when F.I.L.I.A. reached them through their comm.

 **[** Daisy. Wanda. Do you copy? **]**

“F.I.L.I.A.?”

 **[** Am I interrupted anything? Is it okay to talk now? **]**

If an artificial superintelligence could sound sardonic, this one nailed it. Daisy sort of regretted programming her to learn human behaviours, because this was really annoying sometimes. But it was better this than creating one without a touch of humanity embedded inside. If such A.I. fell into wrong hands, it would be disastrous. That would just lead to an A.I. apocalypse. They had one or two events before. They didn’t need more.

“No. Why do you ask?”

 **[** Your vitals a few minutes ago indicated that you participated in a specific pleasurable activity. I wouldn’t want to spoil the mood. Since your hormone level is pretty much stable now, I assumed it is safe to contact you two. **]**

“You can detect that too?” Wanda squeaked.

 **[** Yes. The earpiece and the suit also function as trackers as long as their mechanics are still intact. Daisy’s gauntlets too. **]**

She actually sounded smug.

“Of course the ASI could do that as well.” The Sokovian muttered under her breath. **“** That means the others know about it?” She asked tentatively. She must have been imagining their faces witnessing their lovemaking as she cringed.

 **[** Yes…to the tracking functions…No, to your extracurricular activity. **]**

She paused intentionally within those sentences. That bloody ASI even tried to be dramatic. 

**[** Yet. **]**

Wanda groaned as the A.I. uttered the last word. There was just too much _‘Daisy-ness’_ in her or more specifically her young Skye persona.

“F.I.L.I.A.” Daisy said curtly.

 **[** Don’t worry, boss. I won’t tell a soul if you don’t want me to. **]**

“Good.”

“Oh, thank god.” Daisy could see that Wanda seemed relief.

 **[** Don’t thank Him yet. Or is it Her? **]**

Did the A.I. just have a theological confusion over which pronoun to use? All that information she had must be confusing sometimes. Daisy knew that she would and she was just human, well Inhuman, but it was the same thing. On the other hand, F.I.L.I.A. was a super computer created to sift through information, store them and compute probabilities. If she sounded puzzled, that was just because she hadn’t skimmed through every data yet.

 **[** Anyway, what I’m trying to say is they might find out later if you two keep this up. **]**

Wanda buried her red face in her palms, feeling kind of embarrassed and annoyed that the ASI sounded as though she was chastising them.

 **[** And from the calculations I made from what we know happened for the last two years, the two of you would just keep on doing that anyway. **]**

The dry tone and such a knowing manner this string of codes showed was making Wanda’s blush even redder.

 **[** Besides, I’ve got an almost full length of the recording anyway. **]**

“How?” Daisy groaned at that.

 **[** You were too busy to realize the dwarfs returned to your location minutes ago. **]**

She deadpanned. How disconcerting it was being chided by your own creation. She wouldn’t put it past her to _accidentally_ show a mini clip of their video to the team.

 **[** If Natasha tried to hack me, she might just find it. **]**

“Natasha cannot hack you. And even she tried, you wouldn’t let her find that recording unless you want her to see it.”

 **[** I don’t know what you’re talking about. I take your privacy very seriously. Let alone allowing people to even scratch my firewalls or glimpse at my files and codes. Except you Daisy. Of course you can do anything to me. **]**

The bloody ASI actually attempted at being coy and a little bit flirty. Yep. Too much like Daisy sometimes and a little like the others too. Perhaps She had been observing them all for too long that She emulated their manners.

If they were in a different situation, she would find it hilarious. Even to her expense. Just a glance at Wanda’s flushed face caused her to curve her mouth into a smile. A small one that she hid behind her hand, but she did smile.

“Just delete it, please.”

 **[** Very well. File deleted. **]**

“The cache as well.”

 **[** Okie dokie. **]**

“And the server.”

 **[** Fine. Done. **]**

“Thank you.”

 **[** No problem, boss. **]**

“Anyway, what is it that you want to talk to us about?”

 **[** Right. There’s a problem. **]**

“What is it?”

 **[** The warehouse Trip and Red Skull was in had just exploded. **]**

“Oh my God! Are they caught in it?”

 **[** It’s undetermined but we lost all signals. **]**

“Where is this warehouse? Do you want us to go there?”

 **[** It’s too far from your location and the geography between that place and the warehouse isn’t the most friendly one. **]**

“So, what can we do? If they were still in that building when it blew up, then, they really need help right now.”

 **[** I’ve done some calculations. Instead of having both of you to their location, it would be better to reroute one of your dwarfs. They don’t have to deal with the geographical aspect of the journey. Thus, it’ll save more time. **]**

“That makes sense.”

 **[** And then, if they really do need help, we’ll see who are nearer to them. **]**

“If worse comes to worst, we can send Xellos there. He can travel through the Astral plane. It may not be easy and take some time because he didn't know the place or even this world.”

 **[** I’ll keep that in mind. Unfortunately Xellos and Ramona are not free to do that at the moment. There are just so many things that want their attention. So many obstacles in their way. So many destruction left behind too. Currently, they are facing a horde of dragons and mean tree spirits. **]**

“That must be fun. I bet Ramona needs that to channel her frustrations working with Xellos.” Daisy chuckled softly. She was just trying to vision the quarrelling duo battling enemies and each other alike.

 **[** Not as much fun as you two apparently had. **]**

“F.I.L.I.A.” Daisy rolled her eyes in exasperation.

 **[** Yes boss? **]**

“Shut up and reroute Lancelot to the blast site.” Daisy ordered her creation.

 **[** Copy that. F.I.L.I.A. out. **]**

With that salute, they saw Lancelot moved upward and away from them. They really hoped that Trip and Red Skull were all right.

“I guess that’s our cue to move too.”

“Percival, lead the way.”

Hence they followed the dwarf through the woods. The trek felt like ages although in reality it was actually less than 10 minutes when they finally came across a small dwelling. The fences were rotten and the gate looked like it was only waiting to fall off of the hinges. It didn’t look well-kept with tall grasses adorning its lawn, flaking paint on the walls, grotesque dolls interspersed with overgrown wildflowers and the same berry bushes flanking the pavement in addition to all sorts of gloomy ambience; giving it the vibe of a haunted house. Despite all that, they had to agree that the architecture of it was eye-catching.

“A cabin in the woods,” Daisy turned towards Wanda, grinning wickedly. “Do you think we’ll have the situation like in the movie?”

Wanda groaned, feeling annoyed. The woman just had to bring up some horror movies she watched only once while hiding under the blanket for the majority of it. It wasn’t even that scary. She was just mostly surprised at the screams that were exaggerated. Plus, Daisy loved to prank the shit out of her for days afterwards.

“Do you sense anyone in there?”

“None. No one nearby anyway. Just us.”

“What do we do now? Which way do we go? Aren’t we supposed to fight the other team and snatch their badges? What’s the point of sending us here?”

“I guess we should just walk to the meeting point then. We ought to come across them on the way there.”

“Good idea. Let’s go.” The Scarlet Witch walked away from the cabin only to stop a few paces later when she realized that Daisy was still standing looking at it.

“Daisy.”

“On second thought, let’s check the cabin. There must be a reason why we’re here.”

“Daisy, no.”

“Just a few minutes. We could use their bathroom.”

“Fine.” Wanda sighed in resignation.

“Maybe they have something for us to eat too.” Daisy muttered to herself. She was hungry. Their time in the woods burned a lot of calories and the snacks they had in the backpack she carried might not be enough.

They winced when the gate made a loud noise when they pushed it open. They waited for the home owner to come out if they were there and they just couldn’t detect them. When a minute, then two passed and nobody came out, they relaxed and walked slowly to the front door.

Daisy used her power to double check for any inhabitant and felt satisfied when she found none. So, they opened the door and entered cautiously. It was a small, open floor cabin. Very minimalistic. The entrance opened straight to the kitchen. Next to the kitchen was the bathroom.

The living room was small but cozy with only a couch and an armchair. A coffee table completed the setup. There was a fireplace at one side, with a gory painting on top (that ought to ring the alarm bell but who were they to question someone else’s aesthetical inclinations?) and a staircase to the loft on the other side. There was a storage space under the stairs.

Their eyes wandered, taking in the feel of the place, noting all exits and possible hiding spaces. Once that was done and nothing suspicious jumped out to them, they took a deep breath and relaxed their tense muscles.

Their eyes zeroed in on the dining table and the kitchen. The table was already laid out with plates and cutlery. In the middle of it was a vase of wildflowers they saw in the front yard. There was also a basket of fruits filled to the brim at one end of the table as well as a basket of bread – of different kinds.

“Oh look,” Daisy pointed to the dining table, “those are the same berries we saw earlier.”

Wanda walked towards the sink and saw a basket of the same mushrooms they found in the woods.

“There are no electrical appliances. Not even a fan and a light. This place is really off the grid.”

“The absence of electronics pains me. How can anyone live like this?” Daisy whined.

“Not everyone has to use computer or smartphone all the time, you know.”

“This place doesn’t even have a light fixture.”

“At least they have plumbing.” Wanda tested the faucet and clear clean water poured out of it. She could hear Daisy squealed happily as she opened a cabinet door.

“There’s cake, drinks and pudding. This is nice.”

Wanda walked towards the stove. On top of it was a pot of meat stew which smelled delicious. In the oven underneath it was a pan of roast chicken with potatoes and mushrooms. The aroma was enticing. They were hungry. This time even Wanda’s stomach demanded to be filled. It was almost lunch after all.

So, they took enough portions for two and started digging in. At least Daisy knew to take only to tide her hunger for a few hours. Wouldn’t want the owner to come home to dirty dishes and empty pots. Perhaps they should write a note to apologize and thank the cook before they left.

They finished eating and were about to treat themselves to dessert when things got out of hand, for the better. Their shoulders bumped when they tried to stand up and Daisy wrapped her arms around Wanda’s waist to steady her from falling due to the impact.

“Easy there, sweetheart.” Daisy chuckled and kissed her softly. It was too soft and too short. So Wanda kissed her again. This time more fervently like she couldn’t get enough of kissing Daisy. Several long minutes trickled by before they broke apart, panting.

And then one thing led to another. Her knees wobbled and Wanda found herself lifted up onto the table. She heard the sound of tableware smashed to the floor. But it was as though all of that was far away. She was too absorbed with having Daisy’s touch on her.

Daisy kissed and nipped her jaw, leaving a trail of wet kisses down her throat and collarbone. And when she bit the side of her neck, Wanda whimpered breathlessly. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as her neck was assaulted with a sensation so familiar and addictive, she’d want to experience it forever.

Their coupling was frantic. Clothes were tugged and discarded in haste. Weapons were safely put aside. How they managed to do that, Wanda couldn’t remember. Hands buried in hair, limbs tangled and the cabin was filled with noises that echoed their need for each other. Daisy even used her power to bring it to another level. And that was hot.

It took her a while to come down from her pleasurable high. She almost blacked out. She looked up at Daisy and saw her smiled widely. She was breathless and yet the Inhuman didn’t seem to be tired at all. ‘That would not do,’ she decided.

So, she produced wisps of red and wrapped them around Daisy. Before she could make another move, Wanda lifted her up easily and put her on the table next to her. The brunette grunted when she straddled her. She promised to make Daisy just as breathless and proceeded to milk a string of moans and sighs out of her girlfriend.

Wanda’s heart thrummed in her chest, she was sure Daisy could feel it, just as she could feel the pulse under her lips. The desire to taste Daisy and make her fall apart like she was minutes ago was so strong. So, she pushed her girlfriend to lie flat on the table. Daisy cried out in surprise before she continued with, “Ouch! Ow! That hurts.”

That stopped Wanda from continuing her ministration on her soft skin. “You okay?” She asked worriedly.

“Not really. There’s something poking my shoulder.”

“What?” Wanda pulled Daisy into a sitting position and took a look at her shoulder. Her jaw sagged a bit.

“Umm, there’s a fork buried there.” She bit her lower lip, feeling guilty and mortified. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just pull it out.” So, Wanda pulled the offending cutlery out.

“There’s also the leftover chicken gravy covering half your shoulder.” Wanda said sheepishly. She hid her face in the crook of Daisy’s neck and groaned in embarrassment as the Inhuman said there were crushed fruits on Wanda’s butt. Probably the berries or banana.

Daisy was shaking with mirth. She found the situation funny. Wanda sat back up and glowered at her girlfriend before she also laughed. She couldn’t blame her though. She too was surprised, amused and affronted all at once. Here they were in the middle of an erotic moment, dealing with a weapon of mood killing. Moral of the day: Clear the space of anything potentially dangerous before you get frisky.

“There are just so many things I could come up with this.” Daisy said, brandishing the fork playfully. “I supposed after spooning and scissoring, we’ve added another kitchen utensil to our fun times. Oh wait, we already do.” She giggled.

Wanda groaned disbelievingly. Why was she like this? She just had to say things like that. She gave the offensive fork a death glare. Why must sexual acts be called after kitchen utensils anyway?

“I gotta admit, forking is hotter that spooning though.”

Daisy guffawed at that. ‘Well, at least we had fun despite the incident.’

Later, after they cleaned the mess, they went to the bathroom to freshen up and to tend to the injury. The bathroom had a bathtub and the Inhuman wanted to soak in it.

“We’re in the middle of a competition. We cannot waste more time soaking in the bathtub.” Something didn’t seem right. Daisy was mostly very discipline on mission. So did Wanda. This was an aberration. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to just chilling out in the tub. In fact, she wouldn’t pass up on doing that with Daisy, but they were pressing for time. So, she made a compromise.

“We can shower.” The smile of the brunette’s face was blinding as she walked under the shower head.

“Well, aren’t you coming?”

“I better be.” Whatever came to her to say that? Showering was just as time-consuming as bathing. Pushing that thought aside, she followed Daisy into the shower and stayed there far longer than one needed to clean up. Oh well, she knew why.

‘We still have time.’ It was the last thought she entertained before they were replaced by something that was much more pleasant.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Location: The Cabin_ **

**_Time:_ ** **_±_ ** **_4 hours after the quarter final started._ **

After the shower, they suited up, put a band-aid on Daisy’s shoulder and went back to the kitchen. Daisy insisted on tasting the cake. She couldn’t believe that they were squatting in someone’s home, doing whatever they wanted. Recalling what they had done so far caused her to flush.

She remembered seeing some berries outside, she decided to pick and store them in her satchel. So, Wanda took out a few ziplock bags they usually used to keep specimens and went out of the cabin to get some wildflowers (they did smell good) as well as the berries in the front yard. They can munch on the fruits later. Her girlfriend’s vacuum of a stomach couldn’t be denied of food for too long. It was better to have something to tide her over. She believed she saw some mushrooms too.

While she was doing that, something caught her eyes. There was something glinting under the sunlight at the door. Her blood ran cold when she found a camera there – it was small, but a camera nonetheless. And the red light was blinking. Oh hell, it was on recording mode!

She smacked the device and burned it with her power. She remembered the kiss – for luck according to Daisy, before they entered the place earlier and Wanda didn’t want that aired for the world to see. She hated to have her privacy infringed. So, she urgently searched the whole place.

She was horrified when she found half dozen cameras there. One was in the doll, some others were on the trees, in the birdhouse and the mail box. She destroyed all of them. She stepped out of the house’s perimeter, carefully pushed the gate so it wouldn’t screeched like it was when they first arrived, to check for more cameras. Finding none nearby, she breathed in a deep breath.

She looked at the cabin. Daisy was still in there, eating. They already scanned the cabin when they first arrived. They were so sure there was nothing, no devices that gave off the indication of being 'on'. Nor did they sense any signals or transmission to or from the building. However, they were pretty distracted just now. They might miss things if they were well hidden. They had to check whether there was any camera inside again. They would have to destroy them all too. Although she wondered if that was even necessary if everything was already broadcasted live to the Arena.

“Be that as it may, it’s the least they’ll pay for intruding on our privacy.” She muttered indignantly.

A gust of wind blew her hair around her face, blocking her view for a second. She pushed her hair away from her face and blinked incredulously. Wanda felt as though she just came out of a trance. In fact she probably did when she realized that one minute it looked like when they saw it earlier, the next time she blinked, it changed. It happened a few times.

She remembered her training with Ramona. The gypsy said that one of the things she could do was create and cancel illusions, as long as she knew it was there. So, she strained her senses, looking for the real façade of the cabin. It took a few minutes but she was able to dispel the deception that was blanketing the cabin. It really was shrouded in an illusion. It looked so different now as compared to an hour ago. It looked even more dilapidated than before – there was a sinister air to it.

Her eyes widened when she witnessed something she couldn’t define, like ripples of movement, subtle as an underwater wave started from the roof towards the side window on the second floor. It could be her imagination. Must be some sort of ability their opponents had and currently trying to ambush them. There was no way it was anything paranormal, at least not in the middle of the day, right? She had to make sure if it was real.

Slowly, she went back to the cabin, eyes locked on the window, senses strained for any body heat signature. But she sensed none. The anxiety was gripping her so much that her hands shook. Once she was standing in front of the door, she reached out to grasp its aged doorknob.

She summoned her power, trying to get a feel of something that didn’t belong. As her fingers curled around it, she shuddered, the skin of her forearm erupting into goosebumps. She quickly released the doorknob as if it was on fire. Her hands were shaking. Her whole body was shaking too. She would have laughed if she wasn’t terrified right now. It was a real haunted house dammit!

She rushed in, grabbed Daisy’s backpack on one of the chairs and the Inhuman herself, explaining that they had to get out now. Finding for recording devices be damned. Dealing with anything supernatural was not in her bucket list. The confused woman was still eating a large slice of cake, unfazed of being dragged out of the building. She didn’t even protest. Granted her mouth was full with dessert. So, whatever she said was unintelligible. But she did grab the plate with another slice she cut for Wanda with her.

However, their escape was stopped at the crooked gate. There were two men lurking near the cabin. If they were really men. Who knew if they were some entity disguised as men? One was right at the mailbox near the gate. The other one was standing by the large tree ten feet away. Wanda was still in freak out mode. So, she didn’t even ask, she simply knocked them out.

“Oops, didn’t think they’d be knocked out that easily.”

Well, apparently, they weren’t some unknown entity. They might be their competitors then.

“Quick, get them over there.” Wanda tilted her head to a group of trees around a few feet to the left of the cabin. She just wanted to get away from that place. Daisy, being the muscle between them, shoved the cake to Wanda, told her to eat it and dragged the unconscious men by the back of their collars.

So, the girls searched for the badges they were supposed to have carried with them. The badges were so much more important anyway. She could wait a minute or two despite the fear she felt. Unfortunately, they found nothing on the men. Not believing the nonexistence of the badges, they searched again, twice. And Daisy even reminded Wanda to eat the cake while she took over the searching process with and without using her power.

Then, the air felt extremely cold and spooky all of a sudden. It gave them the shivers. Goosebumps appeared on their skins and the soft hair behind their necks stood upright. A sound coming from inside the cabin startled them. They did not want to know what or who caused it. They also didn’t want to deal with any more surprise. Although both girls couldn’t detect any extra body signatures, that didn’t mean there couldn’t be other people around that probably shielded their presence. And Wanda immediately remembered why she hastily dragged Daisy from the dining table just now.

“I don’t like this. Let’s go.”

With that being said, they left the place as if they were chased by a ghost. Once they reached the edge of the woods far enough from the cabin, near the road they hadn’t travelled yet; they hid behind the trees and stopped for breath.

In fact, from Daisy’s perspective, it might just really be something supernatural when she next witnessed curling mist appeared from the side of the cabin. It later crept towards the poor men, grew bigger and enveloped them whole. She might think it was a ghost if she didn’t know what her girlfriend was capable of.

“What did you do?”

“That’s not me.”

Daisy simply raised an eyebrow at her girlfriend.

“Okay, the punches, yeah. I thought they were the other team.” It was said in a resigned huff. Although now that she calmed down a bit, she recalled seeing their opponents had this weird hairdo, which her victims didn’t sport. Then, she pointed towards the cabin, “but that isn’t my doing. How do you think I’d do that when I’m here, far away from there?”

That made sense. They were pretty far from the cabin. Even she wouldn’t be able to do that that easily. Not without concentrating hard. Daisy kept that in mind to test Wanda’s full abilities once they had a chance to practise later. She was brought out of her musing by the Sokovian’s question.

“Babe, do you see what I’m seeing?” 

“If you mean someone dragging your victims of physical aggression-”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t even that aggressive.” That woman just wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “This isn’t the time to play around.” Wanda hissed, mildly irritated. “Now that,” She turned her head towards the building, eyes widening, “what the hell is that?”

“I don’t want to spook you but that is something I’m pretty sure even I can’t fight.” Daisy replied shakily.

The movement at the cabin stopped. The women felt unseen eyes roaming the place before they stopped at their hiding place. They held their breath and waited, not even dared to move at all. It felt like forever before they could breathe and scrammed they hell out of there.

Quite far from the cabin, they stopped to take a breath.

“If those two aren’t the opponents, they who are they?” Wanda wondered aloud.

“Maybe they live there?”

“And we ate their food and whacked them out. Great. Poor guys.”

“We also debauched their home.”

“Daisy!” That woman was infuriating sometimes.

“But they were holding something. Looks like a camera. Maybe they’re the tournament’s cameramen.”

“Why on earth would they send these poor souls here, within the designated battle ground?”

“So that the audience could watch the fights since the drone was a lost cost?”

“They already have cameras all over the place around the yard. Who knows how many more around here? Oh God, do you think they have some in the woods? And we were…and in the house…we didn’t even check again to make sure.” Wanda was freaking out.

“I’m pretty sure there was none in the woods. Besides, that tree was quite concealed between another huge tree and a large rock. They wouldn’t put a camera at that angle. It’ll be pointless.”

“But what about inside the house?”

“I’m pretty certain there was none inside the house too. Probably because of the ghosts.”

“There’d better be no cameras in there. Why do they need so many cameras anyway? It’s in the middle of the woods.”

“Maybe they’re paranoid. Though I wonder how that makes sense when they had no electricity.”

“They might have a generator in that shed.” Wanda pointed to a small structure beside the cabin. “Or maybe they use solar energy. Who knows?”

A minute later, they continued walking along the path in silence. Each was thinking about what they just saw. Until Daisy opened her big mouth.

“Do you think we could ask for royalties if they sold any film of us in there?”

“Daisy! That is not helping. You said there is no recording device in the cabin.”

“Are you sure? What if there was and we didn’t detect it. Like the ones in the yard.” The Sokovian stiffened. There were so many thoughts circulating in her mind. Then, she pivoted on her heels and started walking back towards the cabin.

“Where are you going?” Daisy hurried after Wanda.

“I’m going to destroy the cabin. Let there be nothing left. No cabin, no camera, no film of our private time!” She hissed through gritted teeth. The thoughts of the unknown entity they just saw had clearly abandoned her in the wake of her possible exposure. All she could think about was to destroy any evidence of their dalliance.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down.” Daisy held her waist. It wasn’t that easy as Wanda simply dragged the Inhuman, still with her hands wrapped around her. This was not a good idea. Had she forgotten the mysterious mist?

~~~~####~~~~

**_Location: Once Stood a Cabin_ **

**_Time: 05 hours into the Quarterfinal_ **

Wanda admitted that she was impulsive and both of them were being very reckless. They were not dubbed the destructive combo for nothing after all.

After they destroyed all possible electronics and demolished the cabin as well as the compound surrounding it, the women found themselves walking on the slightly bigger road, leaving behind them a destruction site and tiny dust particles in the air, blown by the wind. They even remembered to lug the poor cameramen to safety first and left them snoring at the edge of the woods.

They had Percival led them to the meeting point. Apparently, now the dwarf had managed to chart their path straight there. They also asked F.I.L.I.A. to check for any spicy footage of theirs in the organiser’s server and to destroy them if found. Wanda planned to erase the memory of everyone at the Arena if they did watch the two women indulging themselves today.

Feeling satisfied of a job well done, they didn’t even recall the scene that happened with the mist earlier. Little did the couple know, they just upset something they shouldn’t mess with. And their action paved a way for something sinister – a war with the unseen.


	32. To the Meeting Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were racing against time and obstacles to reach the meeting point before sunset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ ] – mechanical voice
> 
> // // – talking through comms or coming from the screen
> 
> Mazoku – demon race
> 
> ASI – Artificial Superintelligence

**_Location: Gambling Ring’s not-so-secret HQ, The Arena._ **

**_Hours since the start of the quarterfinal: 05_ **

**_Hours before sundown: 05_ **

****

They tuned in to Percival’s live-stream right before they witnessed the destructive combo destroyed the cabin and a small area around it.

“What the hell is that?”

 **[** It seems that Daisy and Wanda had just destroyed the cabin. **]**

“Why on earth would they do that?”

 **[** Wanda found cameras in the front yard. **]**

“They could have just destroyed the cameras. Isn’t that excessive?” Maria pointed to the screen.

 **[** According to Wanda, and I quote _“I’m going to destroy the cabin. Let there be nothing left. No cabin, no camera, no film of our private time!”_ So, that’s why. **]**

The three ladies planted their faces in their hands.

 **//** Wow, Miss Wanda has this darker side to her personality. No wonder she gets on very well with Miss Daisy. **//**

Xellos cackled through the comm. The other four couldn’t watch the live-stream unless F.I.L.I.A. patched it up to their tablets.

 **//** I do not need this confirmation of what they did in there. **//**

That was Trip, groaning in embarrassment. The others just laughed at him.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Meanwhile, with Trip and Red Skull…_ **

They left the blast site less than an hour ago. So far, the hike was tolerable. There was no incident. Not until they learned of what the girls had done and the reason the cabin was no more. The short moment they stopped because Trip almost stumbled in embarrassment of the girls’ antics was the start of a very strenuous journey.

He found himself unable to move. There were vines coiling around Trip’s feet, and moving very fast to wrap his whole body. Red Skull did not hesitate to cut them off with a combat knife he hid in his boot. More of the same thing crept towards them. Being trapped by those creeping vines was not in their plan. So, they ran. As fast as they could, following Lancelot. It was not easy for Trip because of his broken arm.

They ran until they reached a wooden suspension bridge, across a narrow canyon. The gap was so deep that they couldn’t even see what was down there. Falling was a sure way to die. Since Lancelot was leading them to the other side of the canyon, they had to cross the bridge that looked to be too seasoned and unsafe. It was a precarious moment and they took too long in their opinion to walk across a 30 feet long bridge.

Lancelot led them through a jungle road. It was hot and humid. They were tired and hungry. Luckily the bag Red Skull had with him was intact and there were food in it. So, they rested against the tree (they made sure there was no creeping vines) and ate their lunch.

After lunch, he was about to stand when Red Skull suddenly froze. He told Trip to stay still. The old man slowly stood, gun in hand and instructed him to crawl little by little to him. Trip was puzzled.

“Snake.” A single word by way of explanation.

Trip didn’t waste any more time. He quickly followed what Red Skull told him to do and moved painstakingly slow. He only managed to reach half of the way before Red Skull fired the weapon as the animal lunged itself. It was a large one.

“What a waste. We could make a few fine pairs of boots out of it.” Red Skull sighed regretfully as they left the area.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Location: Back at the destroyed cabin site._ **

**_Time: 6 hours into the quarterfinal, 4 hours before sundown_ **

They watched the empty lot where the cabin once stood. They were incensed. It wasn’t that they were really mad the place was levelled. It wasn’t even theirs. Though it was such an inconvenient thing to lose a place they could haunt.

They were angry because the women attacked them by destroying everything there without reason. And they even managed to scratch and singe some of them. Something that was unheard of for mortals. There were only a handful of people who could see them, let alone touched them.

That was the reason they decided to pursue them. To avenge the wrong that was done to them. To teach them a lesson that nobody messed with the Unseen.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Daisy and Wanda’s Current Location_ **

They crossed path with their opponents. They looked humanoid and resembled human with a feathered crest atop their head in lieu of hair, which was bushy on both sides and very flat on the top. It was a weird hairstyle. They were probably an alien with birdlike features.

“You!” one of them yelled, pointing a finger at Daisy. Well that was rude.

“Me?” She raised an eyebrow.

“You’re the reason our boss is in prison.”

“I’m not sure I’m following this. Who are you?” Daisy tilted her head, curious.

“You stole from us at Metrofulus.” He growled menacingly.

Daisy remembered the moving city she visited on her first space trip and the group of pirates they clashed with. Now that she looked at them, they did resemble those pirates. The ridiculous hairdo was unforgettable.

“Well then, I’m sure you know who I am.”

“You’re the Space Menace. I don't care about the rumours of what you can do. I’ll end you!”

“You can certainly try.” She egged them mockingly.

Apparently, those two men knew of Daisy. Daisy wondered how these people got to this world. But that wasn’t important. Now that their adversaries were here, they wanted the badges and be done with it.

They fought quite well. They did manage to reach the quarterfinal after all. The girls had to defend themselves against a few types of weapons. Luckily they didn’t have anything as destructive as the nega-bomb she got from a lucky draw (legally – their accusation that she stole it from them was preposterous!) years ago.

It didn’t take the girls long to knock them both unconscious and left with two extra badges in their hands. 

What they didn’t see was the invisible tail that was saturated with anger and fuelled with the vow for revenge.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Meanwhile, with Ramona and Xellos..._ **

After leaving the land of the giants, Xellos and Ramona inched forward towards the finishing line. They entered a beautiful woods dotted sparsely with trees. Their journey was halted by a confrontation with a herd of creatures that were half men and half horses.

“Do you think we could capture and make them our transport?” Xellos deadpanned.

Ramona rolled her eyes. “Really?” She admonished him half-heartedly. “I for once would like to avoid a fight.”

“Okay. What do we do then?”

“We talk. Like civilized people.” With that being said, Ramona took a step forward to talk to the leader of the group, hopefully to get a safe passage through the woods.

~~~~####~~~~

**_With Trip and Red Skull..._ **

“This does not look good.”

“Are we really on the right direction?”

“That machine led us here.” Red Skull tipped his head at Lancelot’s direction.

“F.I.L.I.A.”

 **[** Yes, Trip. **]**

“Are you sure this is the only way to the meeting point?”

 **[** Unfortunately, yes. **]**

“You have got to be kidding me.”

 **[** I assure you, I’m not. **]**

It’s a fucking desert!”

 **[** A very small one. **]**

“How small?”

 **[** The size of Central Park. **]**

“Which central park?”

 **[** New York. **]**

“That’s over 800 acres wide! It is NOT small.”

 **[** But here, the path you’re going is a straight line, not around it. So you won’t have to trek that far to the other side of the desert. **]**

Trip could only curse the topography of the place.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Location: T_** _**he Arena** _

**_Time: 7 hours into the quarterfinal, 3 hours before sundown_ **

**//** We’ve met some friendly centaurs and elves. **//**

“Mythical creatures.”

 **//** And outsmarted some nymphs and evil fairies. **//**

 **//** Oh, and I declined the imploring call of doom from a siren. **//**

“Isn’t a siren the creature that implores sailors to their death at the sea?”

 **//** Yes. **//**

“I thought their call is very persuasive. How’re you able to say no to that?”

 **//** That is a secret. **//**

Ramona snorted.

 **//** I mean, she’s not bad looking but I already had people screeching at me back home. I don’t need another. Besides, I’m not that weak and sirens are not my type. **//**

Xellos said nonchalantly.

“Ah, your type is dragons.” Nami remembered their conversation earlier. They could hear Xellos stumbled at that.

 **//** I didn’t say that. **//**

He tried to protest but nobody believed him.

 **//** We’re here. **//**

They got the confirmation from Ramona and Xellos that they were already at the meeting point. The others were still far behind.

“Are the boys still in the desert?”

 **[** The good news is, they’re out. **]**

“And the bad news?”

They all looked at the screen, live from Lancelot.

“What are they running from?”

 **[** A wild boar. **]**

They were stunned. This place had boars? Besides, how the heck did that happen?

On the screen, they could see a huge wild boar or the equivalent of it in that world in pursuit of Trip and Red Skull.

“They should zig zag. Boars don’t run straight.”

“I’m wondering why Trip didn’t use his power.”

“Maybe he panicked.”

“I’m sure they’ll be okay.”

 **[** Absolutely. If 15 minutes ago they survived an encounter with a mountain lion and evade a landslide at the same time, a wild boar is a piece of cake. **]**

“A mountain lion was way more dangerous.”

The boys would be fine.

“What about Daisy and Wanda?”

~~~~####~~~~

**_Location: On the Outskirts of a Town_ **

**_Time: 8 hours since they started, 2 hours before sundown_ **

****

They skirted an empty town. There were building that made up a small town but there was no one. This felt like a ghost town. They sensed something weird there but they didn’t want to face any confrontation. They were already late.

They felt it was best to not stop there and continued on. That was when something attacked them. Both Wanda and Daisy were thrown high into the air. Believing it was an enemy, they fought back. Except they hit nothing but air. In fact, there was nothing there to hit. However, the beating they received was real.

Something grabbed Daisy and threw her around like a ragdoll. Similar thing happened to Wanda as well. The Scarlet Witch tried to use her power to counter the attack but it was futile. Whatever that thing was, it was strong and able to conceal themselves. And they moved fast.

They were desperate. It was not in their experience fighting invisible enemies. Even though they were able to pinpoint the location of their attackers, they moved too fast before they could attack in return. And for some that hit, they did nothing to their assailants.

Daisy’s back hit a post fence before she crashed into a small wooden structure. It created such a racket that before they knew it, there were half dozen newcomers to the scene. Those guys only took a short time to subdue their invisible foes.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. They are not welcome here anyway.”

“What are they?”

“The Sluagh, also known as the Unseen – spirits of the restless dead. They are troublesome and destructive.”

“That explains the invisibility and the rage we sense from them.”

“How did you guys manage to hit them?” Wanda asked curiously.

“Because we’re similar to them.” That snapped the women into caution.

“Except we have the physical body and functional brain.”

Their rescuers were known as revenants – the undead. And they were eternal enemies with the Unseen. The fact that revenants had corporeal body and more rational mind than them, made the Unseen hated them despite the similar nature of both groups – which was being dead but still there on that plane of existence.

After thanking the revenants, Daisy and Wanda raced towards the meeting point. Their journey was not easy. They met a genie (at least that was what they believed he was) who tried to trick them. However, with an unexpected but lucky incident, he was made a victim to his own trickery and the girls hurried away from there.

They also had to run away from angry lost souls trapped under a collapsed mine and something else they had never heard of or seen before – a messy, long-haired scary-looking woman with a large hole in her maggot infested torso, cradling a gravestone while humming a chilling tune. The latter was what scared the shit out of them that they sprinted away and continued running for what seems like miles until they reached the foot of a hill. They collapsed there winded and almost out of time. Sunset was near. They had to get to the meeting point before that. But first, they needed to catch their breath.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Time: 9 hours since they started, 1 hour before sundown_ **

**_Location: At the foot of a hill_ **

Their trek across the desert was not uneventful. The sun was bearing down on them, it was very hot. It was a wonder they didn’t get heat stroke. They were almost trapped in a quicksand, nearly stung by a scorpion and then it rained. Three minutes was what it took to turn the desert into a gully and less time for them to escape the death trap.

Once they were out, they were chased by a mountain lion while evading a landslide. Then, they had to run away from another wild animal. This time it was a wild boar for goodness sake! Luckily, Trip remembered to use his power – after around 5 minutes running for their lives.

Then, they had to wade across a muddy river bank. It was either that or climbed a 1000 ft. hill. Minutes went by when they arrived at a dead end. Or what seemed like a dead end. There was a path but they had to do some rock climbing. Since Trip only had one working hand, Red Skull had to do all the work while Trip piggybacking all the way to the top of the rock face.

After that they arrived at a river. A rapid actually, where they both fell into due to the slippery edge. They were struggling for a long while until they reach their current location – the starting point up the hill. They were lucky to end up there. Apparently, they only had to go up the hill to reach the meeting point.

They were also reunited with Daisy and Wanda at the foot of the hill. It didn’t take them long to reach the top and rendezvous with Xellos and Ramona who were already there for hours.

There was a well in the middle of the peak. Next to it was a pail and a tray; its surface had dented spaces shaped like the badges in their possession. They were just about to put the badges according to the shapes when they were assaulted by the entity that had been chasing after Daisy and Wanda – the Unseen. Either they got away from their rescuers or this was the reinforcement party. And all hell broke loose.

“Oh shit!”

“What the hell is that?”

“Our pursuer…” Daisy said sheepishly.

“Why didn’t you neutralize them?”

“Well, how do we do that when we cannot really see them?”

“Then how do you know they’re chasing after you?”

“Because we can sense them.”

“If you can sense them, then, you can fight them.”

“We did. But nothing worked!”

“Besides, how the heck do we fight them? These are supernatural beings.”

“What are they exactly?”

“Non-corporeal entity.”

“Like ghosts?”

“More like vengeful spirits.”

“And why are they following you? What did you do?”

“We blew up the cabin.” Wanda muttered sheepishly.

“And destroyed the whole area.” Daisy shrugged. “Then caused them to fight against the Revenants. Apparently, they’re enemies.”

“The what?”

“Revenants – like zombies but with brain capacity.”

“You mean the undead…”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Miss Ramona, how about exorcism?”

“You don’t have to tell me that. Xellos, get behind me if you don’t want to be purified.”

The mazoku flew to stand behind Ramona. The gypsy concentrated on her surrounding, determining the positions of the Unseen and started chanting.

_You who are not from this world,_

_pitiful, twisted creatures;_

_By the light of the purity I possess,_

_I bid thee be gone to the nexus of our two worlds!_

_Holy Resist!_

Ramona exorcised them all. They watched the magical dance before them in awe.

“Just like that?” The team asked incredulously.

“Yep. Something that all of you can do too, especially Wanda.”

“We don’t know magic.”

“Everyone can learn magic. It just that different people has different bucket capacity, which represents the amount of magical energy one can gather at once.” Xellos explained.

“Besides, given your bloodlines - magic is within you. It lies dormant but can be activated at times of great peril.” Ramona didn’t mean to say that. It actually slipped out before she could hold her tongue. She could see Xellos and Daisy scrutinized her. They may have different clues but essentially, they were not that far off.

“Bloodlines?”

“In fact, your powers are like a type of magic that manifested physically. It comes from inside you.” She continued as if she didn’t hear them. That only prompted them to ask more questions.

“Besides, didn’t we establish that magic is a science we have yet to understand?”

“True. Even Simmons agrees to that and she is a hardcore for needing something that is scientifically proven.” Daisy pitched in.

Then, Ramona suggested going back to the Arena in order to stop them from questioning further. Besides, the sun was setting and the time for them to get free transport back to the Arena had almost run out.

Therefore, they took the badges and placed in on the tray positioned next to the well. The well glowed and blinding lights came from inside the well and sucked them all into it, leaving behind echoes of scream and profanity.

And they were back at the Arena.

~~~~####~~~~

**_At the Arena_ **

They were announced the winner and would go through to the semifinal on the next day. Luckily, their matches were scheduled after lunchtime. At least they could rest more. The quarterfinal took a toll on their energy.

They reunited with their team members. Ramona healed Trip’s arm as well as other injuries they all sustained. While Natasha and Maria dealt with their minions, the rest were talking to each other, sharing experiences.

“What’s that?” Nami pointed to the ziplock bags in Wanda’s satchel.

“We found this in the woods. The flowers are so fragrant. The mushrooms and berries are delicious.”

“So, you ate them?”

“I thought we’ve discussed this. Do not eat stuff we’re not sure of despite their looks.” Ramona chided them.

“Yeah, but they were laid out, ready to be served.”

“Where?”

“At the cabin.”

“The cabin you blinked out of existence?”

“Yep.”

Ramona shook her head. These girls were reckless at times. Weren’t they all? “I see that nothing happens after you consumed them.” She said dryly. Daisy and Wanda winced at their own recklessness. They didn’t even think of the food being safe once they saw it in the kitchen. It was not a normal occurrence for them.

“Then, I guess I want to try.”

So, Wanda handed one of the bags with the berries to Trip. His intention was halted by a shriek from one of their minions.

“Don’t eat those!” They all turned to face the young man.

“Why?”

“These are not safe to be consumed especially without precautions.”

They all frowned, clearly not understanding why. So the minion explained to them the reasons.

“These berries are known to have caused a heightened carnal desire. Eating them in large amount would make you too horny that it consumes you until you act on it. No matter what. No matter where. No matter who."

Wanda and Daisy’s eyes widened. Was that why they were insatiable that day? It wasn't that rare for them to have fun once in a while but that day was extraordinarily frequent - while working. But, they only ate them for the first time at the cabin. They had already indulged themselves before that. Although that explained why they did it in the cabin and then later near the waterfall before they were attacked by the Unseen. It was after they finished a bag of berries. Wanda did collect a few bags.

The minion gave them another reason to be surprised. This time, they could not help but to drop their jaws.

“Those flowers, they were poisonous too.”

Wanda dropped the bags in a flash.

“If you stepped on it, they’d released some types of drugs that also heightened your urge to be intimate. You’d feel restless until you scratch the itch.”

“Another aphrodisiac?” Was that the reason they were unabashedly did it in the woods? Because they inhaled some weird stimulant from the flowers?

“Yes. You can see there are different colors there.” The team nodded.

“If it was only a single color – the blue and yellow ones, it would be deadly. You were lucky there were a bunch of colorful ones all together. They somehow create a chemical reaction that changes their property from poisonous to sensory stimulant. Or else you’d be dead by now.”

Their faces blanched. How lucky they were to avoid death by flowers. Now that was just lame. They would be known as the agent/avenger who lost their lives to flowers. If the world knew that the Space Menace/The Destroyer of Worlds was bested by some wildflowers, she'd be a running joke among the space community. That would be humiliating. 

“What about the mushrooms?”

“Did you eat any?”

“Yeah…”

“What happened after you ate them?”

“Well…” Wanda trailed; she was too flustered to answer. The rest of the team looked at everywhere else but them. Everybody knew why.

“The mushrooms are also aphrodisiac, aren’t they?” Daisy voiced out her guess. The tip of her exposed ear turned red.

“Correct.” They both groaned. Wanda was even trying to hide her face on Daisy’s neck. “But if you eat it raw or exposed to the spores, all that happen is you hallucinate.”

The women crinkled the bridge of their noses. Then, the rain, the hailstorm and the groaning ancient tree – were they all hallucinations? Plus the supernatural entities they encountered. Were they real or not? Because they did step on the mushrooms. The only thing they were sure was the Unseen was real because everybody was attacked by them on that hill.

“Great. We have a bunch of hallucinogens and aphrodisiacs. Simmons will be thrilled.”

“I guess you were in the forbidden forest. Those only exist in there. You’re lucky to still be in one piece. No one usually come out unscathed.”

The team pondered that for a moment and was grateful that everyone was okay.

Later, they had dinner. They were starving. They discussed a bit about their next opponents and retired to their respective rooms early that evening.

They showered and got ready for bed. It didn’t take them long before they landed on the bed, limbs tangled, and for their heavy breathings and moans to fill the entire room.

Apparently the effect of the aphrodisiac was still strong in their bloodstream. They were exposed to all three elements after all. Or maybe it was just them. They had always had a healthy appetite for each other.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Meanwhile, in the room next to theirs…_ **

“They’re at it again.” Natasha shook her head in disbelief. They were getting ready to go to bed despite the early hour. That day was pretty stressful and they were mentally exhausted.

“With how much Daisy eats, I’m not surprised if the aphrodisiac is still in her blood.” Maria said dryly.

“And Wanda loves the flowers. She was sniffing on a bouquet of them before the minion explained everything.” Natasha grumbled.

“They also munched on the berries all the way to the meeting point.” Maria added. “This could take all night.”

They both groaned. It was one thing to know about it. To actually have to endure the whole night with the sex marathon going at full speed next door was another. Why did this place has thin walls?

“Wanna compete with that?” Natasha leered at her slyly. A complete change from her previous demeanor.

Maria chuckled. “Thought you’d never ask.”

“Then get your ass to bed.”

“Yes dear.”

~~~~####~~~~

**_In the room on the other side of Daisy and Wanda’s…_ **

Ramona was a very open-minded and patient woman. She could sleep through anything if she so desired. However, tonight, she had trouble getting a shut eye. All because of the couple next door. She wondered when the effects would run out. Sighing, she recited a chant and put a noise cancelling spell around her room. At least she could do that. Trip was lucky his room wasn’t on either side of the girls’ room. He’d be scarred for life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The moving city Wanda and Daisy's opponents mentioned was from the one in my report from space series.


	33. The Storm Behind Her Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The semifinal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people may find this chapter a bit dark…I think. Read at your own discretion.

The crowd was silent, transfixed with what they were witnessing. The only audible sound was of fists and kicks met flesh. And a one-sided painful whimpers. Both fighters had stopped talking a long time ago. That was why the voice that suddenly permeated the air sounded like a thunderclap, gripping their attention.

“Please stop.”

She was rooted to the ground. One of her fists was clutching her opponent’s shirt’s collar. The other was ready to deal a fatal blow to his head.

~~~~####~~~~

**_Earlier that day_ **

Day 8 was scheduled for the semifinal. If they were scattered to unknown places to survive elimination in the previous stage, this time around, they were competing at a single location. As it was with the way this martial arts tournament had been insofar, the stage was something else. It consisted of platforms of different shapes – ten to fifty feet high and fifteen to sixty feet wide.

The only rule they had to conform to was staying on the platform and winning the fight. Once they touched the ground, surrendered, knocked out or dead, their opponents would win that round. Similar to the quarter-final, they had to defeat all 6 fighters in anything goes mode. It meant that they were allowed to use any means to win – wit, trickery, weapons, powers and deadly blows. And the last one standing would win their team the ticket to the final battle.

The semifinal of the martial arts tournament started off not to their favor. The team knew of the other team’s reputation, courtesy of their very own bookies’ impressive information gathering skills. Purportedly, the opposition team was comprised of mages and wizards – not of the noble kinds. If we grouped them according to the houses in the Harry Potter’s universe, they’d be in Slytherine. However, these people were brilliant in their trades. It was also backed up with their status as last year’s champion.

So, to gauge their exact capabilities, they agreed to let Red Skull be their guinea pig (with his permission, of course). Therefore, the former villain from the 1940’s stepped onto one of the lowest platforms and prepared to fight.

His opponent was a petite woman with hair the color of bubblegum. And it was pink! Despite her small stature, he knew not to underestimate her. For someone who mainly used close-quarter combat, he did quite well against an experienced witch – for about two minutes.

Right of the bat, the other fighter utilized her ability and Red Skull couldn’t even land a single hit on her. The moment when it looked like he was about to deliver a glancing blow to her jaw, she sprinkled a handful of sparkly dust on him. Seconds later, he fell to the ground, snoring peacefully.

“Is he asleep?”

“Looks like it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“Nope. That level of snoring could rival the sound of a truck.”

Apparently, he was defeated by glittery sleeping dust. Now, this could be problematic. All of them could hold their own pretty well in a fight – physical and with powers. However, their opponent’s tricks could be difficult to get past in order to defeat them. They had to be creative to win this round. 

After they dragged Red Skull back to their waiting area and dumped him on the bench there, Wanda entered the ring and easily won the match against the bubblegum witch – by deflecting the sleeping dust back to her when she tried to win against the Sokovian using the same strategy as before. Thus, putting both teams on an even ground again.

She then continued to fight in the next round. Her new opponent was tall and lean and looked like a grim reaper what with the ghastly styled hooded robe he donned. What he lacked in the fashion department, he made it up in his fighting skills. He was a skillful wizard.

At first, it was an even fight and Wanda seemed to be doing great. At one point, it looked like the Scarlet Witch got the upper hand. The fight got more and more one-sided as the minutes went by as if the first few minutes were used to test Wanda’s ability and to lull her into a false sense of superiority.

The wizard was a trained fighter. Like Wanda, he also constructed a barrier around himself. He imbued his hits with magic and kept Wanda busy with some magical side attacks. Physical hits turned magical and they used all sorts of techniques and weapons in their arsenal – potions, powers and magic. Till all they did was attacking from a distance. Moving to different platforms as the fight continued.

He reached inside his robe and pulled out a tiny vial. Thinking it was a new weapon, Wanda expanded her shield only to find that nothing happened to her because instead of throwing it in her direction, the mage pull out the lid and downed the liquid inside. And then he lunged towards her.

Wanda’s energy shield was easily penetrated. Her opponent got stronger and fiercer. Hits after hits reached her that made her dizzy. She focused too much on defense and staying upright that she couldn’t really use her mind attack. Not that it worked when she tried it before.

The small explosions coming from little explosives he threw made her situation worse. She wasn’t certain but she believed that some of those projectiles he threw her way were of corrosive materials. Her right sleeve could attest to that. With the way she was attacked, Wanda was struggling to stay balanced on the platform.

She did her best, but even her best was not good enough as the hooded wizard kept on delivering blow after blow on her. Coupled with the magical elements he infused in his attacks; plus, the potions he threw at her, it was pretty much a one-sided match.

After an agonizing 30 minutes on the receiving end of a barrage of assaults, the Scarlet Witch was cornered and unable to return the attack. She hurt all over. They were cuts, bruises, and burns on her clothes and body. Her ears were ringing; it convinced her of a concussion. She was also certain that one or two of her ribs were at least fractured.

Daisy’s words before she entered the ring echoed in her mind. That if she found it too much and she couldn’t continue fighting, just forfeit the match. The others would take over and win the game. She was not stupid nor was she suicidal. So, she tapped the platform as a signal to surrender and declared aloud that she forfeited the round at the same time. And she lay there, curled into herself trying to curb the pain.

Daisy and the others were tense the whole time. Their faces remained completely impassive, but they could feel Wanda’s fear as if it were their own. Daisy’s panic grew and it squeezed her heart like a vice. She found herself struggling to breathe as she witnessed Wanda’s beating at the hands of her challenger.

They exhaled in relief at hearing Wanda’s forfeit. It was a hard thing to do to stay put and watch Wanda being a punching bag. Even the audience seemed to feel relieved with the Sokovian’s decision. After all, they were sort of rooting for Team Zephyr to continue surprising them in this tournament. Having a member of the team pummeled to death was not fun.

However, before the umpire was able to stop the match, the mage gripped her chin and poured some liquid from a vial he hid in his robe into Wanda’s mouth and the effect was instantaneous. Wanda clutched her throat and her whole body moved uncontrollably as if having a seizure.

There was only one thing on everyone’s mind that could cause such reaction – poison. Everybody could see that she was terrified and in extreme pain. But that was not all. He seized her by the throat, convincing the crowd that he was going to choke her. But then he brought her to the edge and pushed her off the platform – one of the highest.

The sickening sound of bones breaking as her body met the ground that the audience anticipated did not come. Daisy had already sprinted onto the stage and caught Wanda a few inches before she hit the ground. Trip, Ramona and Xellos too rushed to the couple. Red Skull demanded the mage for an antidote but it fell on deaf ears. The action was premeditated. He had no intention to let Wanda left the stage alive.

Daisy immediately sat Wanda down and positioned herself behind her, a little to the side so that Wanda could lean on her. With one leg wrapped around her girlfriend’s waist, she told Trip and Xellos to hold Wanda who was convulsing and writhing uncontrollably. She put one arm around Wanda’s shoulders and shoved one finger into her girlfriend’s mouth. She had done this before. Once. But it was with water and from a metal container, not from within someone’s body.

They couldn’t rely on Ramona to heal Wanda without extracting that amount of poison first. Daisy knew that. Ramona also knew that. That was why she let Daisy took charge while she performed healing spells to imbue Wanda with extra energy to combat whatever damage she had already sustained.

Anything could go wrong. The stray thought of making things worse crossed her mind but she put a lid on that thought process, locked her fears in a box and shoved them away. She had to compartmentalize her mind. She would not think of the possibility of failure.

Soon, Wanda stopped moving and passed out. The Sokovian’s face was so pale Daisy thought she had to mourn another love interest in her short life. Only Ramona’s assurance that she still got a pulse anchored her to the dire situation and not succumbed into grief. She steeled herself and focused on keeping Wanda alive. Everything else slipped from her awareness.

Using her power, Daisy concentrated on the vibrations of the foreign element from within Wanda’s body, called it forth and manipulated it on its molecular level by changing it into gas to contain it, so that she would not mistake it with blood. Then, she vibrated its atom and changed the contained gas into small pellets for easier extraction as gas could move and enter the blood.

Daisy dumped the poisonous pellet into a container Xellos manifested out of thin air. She repeated the procedure a few more times. She knew she couldn’t get all of it out as some might have already seeped into Wanda’s body, so, she let Ramona took over. She had extracted the worst of it. The gypsy then purged the remaining poison and cleansed Wanda of any trace of the vile element as best as she could. It was tedious and dangerous and more of a gamble than a surety of a successful medical procedure.

Everybody was waiting with bated breath whether they managed to save her or not. Even the audience fell quiet. The prolonged hushed atmosphere during a tournament was unheard of in the long history of the Arena. A scene like the one in front of them had never happened before. And to actually witness such frantic, unknown medical aid being carried out right before their eyes was an experience they never thought to have.

When Wanda’s vitals were no longer as critical, they moved her to their team’s waiting area next to the stage. Trip and Red Skull already cleared the bench so they could lay the Sokovian on it. It took both Ramona and Xellos to persuade her to lose the tight grip she had on Wanda. Once she let go, Ramona continued working on Wanda. Wanda was not totally out of the wood yet, but she was getting there. Magic healing might not 100 percent heal health issues related to poison. But Ramona as hell would try her best to do it.

Next to her, the sight of Wanda temporarily rendered Daisy motionless as if she just realized how close she was to losing the love of her life. All her traumas then resurfaced. She was battling the demons of her past, her fears, and her self-worth. It was true after all, that one sentence she heard years ago, ‘ _wherever she goes, death follows._ ’ She couldn’t stop her mind from going there. In her mind of mind, she knew that that was ridiculous. She didn’t cause the deaths of people she didn’t kill. And Wanda almost died was not her fault. She was no Grim Reaper or Angel of Death. However, that didn’t assuage her guilt no matter how absurd the thought was. 

Nami, Natasha and Maria could only watch helplessly from their spots among the audience. The latter two were holding each other’s hand tightly. There was nothing they could do but to hope for a miracle. They feared for Wanda’s life. They feared for Daisy too. She had been through so much. Losing Lincoln changed her. Losing Wanda would destroy her. They weren’t sure their sister could come back from this if it happened.

Maria and Natasha saw the moment Daisy froze and later emerged from her trance. Not that people knew she was in such a state earlier. The two of them could sense it because they spent countless times with her in similar state of mind.

Daisy kissed the back of Wanda’s hand before they witnessed the change in her. Her shoulders were stiff, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. Her jaw hardened as she straightened up. The cold fury mixed with fear she held inside bubbled up to the surface and it showed in her eyes. Even from their location, it was painfully clear. It was like she had made up her mind and would bring hell to whomever unfortunate to land on her bad side.

There were tiny tremors in the arena. They were sure that that was Daisy. They hoped that she didn’t lose it there. Nobody knew what might happen is she released her full powers. If Lady Sif was to be trusted, Daisy might destroy the place. And that would defeat the purpose of saving Wanda and of going on this quest.

There were murmurs of alarm among the crowd as the place shook. The quakes weren’t that strong, but still discernible. However, no one left their seats. The suspense of the semifinal was still strongly gripping their attention. Their interest and anticipation of how it would end motivated them to stay seated regardless of their own safety. Maria wouldn’t blame them. She too felt agitated to see the last of the sorcerers defeated.

A few seconds later, Daisy blinked and she transformed. Her face was devoid of emotion. Her eyes were blank. Her hands were no longer tightly clenched. Her posture relaxed and she looked like what happened didn’t even have any emotional impact on her. But they knew it did. It affected her immensely.

She turned to walk towards one of the platforms. It wasn’t supposed to be her turn yet. Xellos was originally queued to fight after Wanda. However, Xellos understood that Daisy needed to do this. He really got it because similar misfortune befell someone he cherished not long ago. And he raged. He still was. He just tempered the feeling down, mined the fury and then unleashed it on the one responsible.

The feelings that rolled off of Daisy were dizzying and intoxicating. Just a little taste of it made him full; he was dumbfounded by the force of it. It was so deep, so rich and powerful and very, very dark. The darkness was familiar. It was similar to what he could feel from a higher level mazoku. But it was something he never felt from her. Truthfully, he never thought a non-mazoku like Daisy was capable of oozing such a dark aura. He stood corrected.

The calm rage brewing inside her was too much even for him. She was truly and utterly pissed. This was Daisy Johnson at her deadliest form. He shivered. Even Xellos never wanted to face this version of her and he was really powerful in his own right. He almost felt sorry for the soon-to-be pummeled wizard. But he didn’t. The robe clad idiot deserved whatever punishment the brunette would soon deliver. For what he did to the Inhuman’s partner was despicable even to a Mazoku standard.

Once Daisy reached the platform the other fighter was on, she stood quietly, straight back and the ground ceased to tremble. The way she held herself was deceptively laid-back, masking her true feeling, lulling the mage to a false sense of security. She turned to face her soon-to-be dead opponent and he automatically flinched and took a step back. Her displayed form appeared deceptively relaxed before she released her breath and spoke in quiet, measured tones.

“You poisoned her even though she already tapped out and forfeited the match.” The voice was without inflection as though the speaker was not affected by what had just occurred.

Using poison was a heinous method even in this sort of event, but it was allowed since this was an elimination round. Therefore, the fight can be to the death.

Nevertheless, it didn’t mean that everybody was okay with it. The uproar among the spectators after they heard Daisy’s pronouncement confirmed that such attack was uncalled for, especially when Wanda had already admitted her defeat as she was sprawled on the ground and a simple punch could knock her out. He didn’t have to poison her and then pushed her off of the highest platform.

The audiences’ uproar couldn’t rival the team’s wrath. The team’s anger was undeniably profound; it was so thick that everyone could feel it. But it didn’t even come close to what she felt. And Daisy’s rage was unparalleled. It swirled within her. She could feel the buzzing in her veins, the swarm of bees she kept in check in line with keeping her powers under control. They wanted out. They wanted to rage. They wanted to avenge.

When the noise among the crowd had gotten to a manageable silence, she addressed the wizard again. “Go on. Put up your shield. Drink whatever potions that give you energy or power or heal you before we start.”

The mage’s throat moved as he swallowed nervously. His heartbeat quickened and he started to sweat. However, he did heed Daisy’s words and drank a number of potions. But Daisy couldn’t care less.

“Not that it would make any difference anyway.” She said monotonously, which prompted him to hastily erect the energy barrier around him. He was not stupid. This woman, Quake was an unknown. The tremors they felt just now might be caused by her. He wouldn’t put it past her to have special ability. He lived in a weird world too. He knew of people with powers.

She gave a piercing glance to the officials to start the round. It was so sharp that they flinched, which compelled them to slam the gong, signalling the round was officially begun. The second the gong sounded, there was a blur of brown and black as Daisy launched herself towards the wizard and delivered an uppercut to his chin so hard he was lifted a few feet off the ground. The shield he had was no match against the force of Daisy’s hit and it dissolved just as fast as it was created, never to be seen again. He didn’t get a second chance.

She didn’t wait for his feet to touch the platform. A punch to his stomach caused him to fold over and Daisy raised her knee to his face. The crack of his nose breaking was clearly heard, the audience winced. Blood spurted from between the fingers he brought to his nose as he lay down on the ground, gasping from the pain. But Daisy was not done.

“Get up.” Her voice was soft but the deadly intention was plain to his ears.

The wizard quickly got to his feet expecting more hits. However, Daisy simply stood there looking him in the eyes.

“Why?”

“She could still fight if I didn’t do it.” He knew there was no way he could play dumb and pretend to not understand her question.

“Why?”

“To ensure our win.”

“Why?”

He had no answer. Not that it mattered. The woman was clearly furious despite the bland expression on her face. She looked so calm. One might mistake her to not feel anything about what had happened. But he could see it. It was in the storm behind her eyes. It was in the scary control she had over her emotions and actions as if should she lose it, it would be catastrophic. It frightened him. This time, maybe he had just stirred up a hornet’s nest. And he experienced fear like never before.

He didn’t even see her coming as she sucker punched him. He doubled over, coughing uncontrollably. Daisy didn’t give him time to reorient himself. She delivered a barrage of punches, kicks and flips. He had no way of blocking her attacks nor did he have the time to create a shield around him. The Inhuman was too fast and too strong. Every time he almost fell off of his feet, Daisy would catch him and hit him. She didn’t even break a sweat.

There was no reprieve. There was no mercy. There was only pain. There was only one thing that mattered. No one hurt her people, especially the woman she loved.

When the mage lifted his gaze he found her watching him without expression. He could not decipher the look in her eyes, but he knew that it was a dangerous one. It felt calculating, and it made him nervous for reasons he couldn’t quite articulate. Scratched that. He knew why. The woman, Quake was mad he poisoned the other chick.

She clutched the collar of the mage’s shirt, visible behind the robe and gave him a glancing blow to the head.

“Do you know who I am?” She backhanded him. A couple of his teeth flew out of his mouth along with blood and spittle. He toppled to the side and landed on the ground hard.

“Some people call me a menace.” She grabbed his robe and pulled him up on his knees. “The Space Menace.” Another punch and a broken cheekbone. “Some others call me the Destroyer of Worlds.” She still held him on his knees.

There were gasps and surprised exclamations among the spectators. A few had heard of her. They just never knew her real face. They soon quieted when the man screamed in pain as Daisy broke his thumb.

“They fear me.” She broke his pinky.

“They admire me.” She broke his index finger.

“They like me,” his ring finger was next, “and they hate me.” The middle finger faced a similar fate.

“But they all agree that they should respect me.” She broke his wrist.

“Whatever or however I’m known as, they don’t call me those names for nothing.” The hooded wizard screamed in agony as Daisy twisted his arm, breaking his elbow and dislocated his shoulder.

"They have the idea of what I can do and what I've done." She kicked him in the stomach. He curled into a fetal position.

“And you just had to land on my bad side.” Daisy stood darkly above him. The pathetic man could only whimper and gasp in pain while cradling his useless limb.She then pulled him up on his feet.

“Have you never heard?” She tilted her head as though she was studying him and found him not worth her time. She gave him a withering look, eyes shining with rage barely restrained.

“Touch my people, you’ll pay for it in multiple,” she said and proceeded to making him her punching bag.

“Touch the love of my life; I hope you’ve said your goodbyes.” She kneed him in the groin and when he doubled over, she kneed his chin, sending him high up in the air. She jumped high and delivered a roundhouse kick to his head, breaking his jaw.

The crowd was silent, transfixed with what they were witnessing. The only audible sound was of fists and kicks met flesh. And a one-sided painful whimpers. Both fighters had stopped talking a long time ago. That was why the voice that suddenly permeated the air sounded like a thunderclap.

“Stop.”

Daisy blinked. She was rooted to the ground. One of her fists was clutching her opponent’s collar. The other was glowing orange courtesy of the Centipede serum infused in her, ready to deal a fatal blow to his head.

“Baby, please stop.”

That voice was raspy. The tone was neutral, but Daisy could sense a strain in it, an edge of anxiety as if the speaker was trying to pacify her and also a sign of pain. She recognized that voice. She knew to whom it belonged to. Her clouded mind was working hard to clear itself. She felt as though she was underwater, trying to come up for air. The wrath that enveloped her a moment ago slowly dissipated but not completely. Not yet.

She never thought she’d felt such an immense relief just by hearing that voice. Sweet, gentle Wanda had always managed to bring her out of her head and being the pillar for her to lean on, to uphold herself, to help her to be in peace with her fucked up life at least in her head and to her sanity. 

Daisy's eyes cleared. Her head was no longer stuffed. She should not have gotten carried away by the burning anger. She inhaled deeply and re-centered herself. She looked down at the rag doll of a wizard and calmly said, “You’re lucky she’s still alive or you wouldn’t see the light of day by the time I’m done with you.”

She decked him on the head and the hooded mage flew a few feet away, falling at the edge of the platform like a sack of rotten potatoes, sprawling unconscious. She may have regained self-control but that didn’t mean she couldn’t exact revenge for the last time.

And on that note, the officials quickly declared her the winner of the round, putting Team Zephyr on even ground with the sorcerers.


	34. Unexpected Addition

Daisy Johnson inhaled deeply and focused on bringing her heartbeat back to its normal rhythm. It wasn’t that she lost control. She was just so mad she actually planned a gruesome murder. She was in fact halfway there (no, who was she kidding? She was nearly there) before Wanda brought her out of her angry stupor.

In the end, she clocked him on the head and he fell unconscious. Thus, the team won the round. The audience fed on that spectacular bashing in joy and awe and a little bit of fear. They cheered and hollered their enjoyment. The team however was relieved that the fight did not end with death. Daisy only lost it for a few minutes there. If Wanda hadn’t woken up, they were so certain that the wizard would be dead by now.

Having an enraged Quake on the loose was not to anyone’s peace of mind. It was in fact detrimental to one’s physicality and the surrounding area. Fortunately, she snapped out of her furious trance early and was conscious of her actions in spite of the turmoil she was having inside. Thus, the Inhuman managed to reign herself in check before she did something she might regret. And she was sure she wouldn’t stop otherwise because no one hurt her people, let alone her girlfriend.

However, the damage had already been delivered. The one who poisoned Wanda was seriously injured, but he would live, perhaps with a few defects like fewer teeth, reconstructed facial structure and some extra scars with a long recuperating period. Not that the Inhuman regretted it because and she would stress on this again – no one hurt her loved ones.

She half turned towards the umpire and addressed him curtly. She needed to make sure that she would not be driven out of the ring from mere technicality.

"If I go down there, will I be disqualified for the next round? Or do I have to stay here even before we continue with the next opponent?"

"We haven't started the next round yet. You can get off of the platform for now." The officials were obviously terrified of her. Who wouldn’t with such raw power and lack of emotion on display less than five minutes prior? They didn’t even dare to look her in the eyes.

Satisfied with that answer, Daisy hopped off of the platform and walked briskly towards her team. Her eyes were fixed on Wanda who was sitting on the bench, making sure that she was indeed real and alive. She stopped a few feet away from Wanda, taking in her complexion – still a little pale, but not as white as before. She just stood there, her eyes roaming on the Sokovian, checking for injury that she might miss earlier. Something she failed to do during the frantic minutes of extracting the poison.

“Hey.” Wanda gave her a shaky smile. Her voice was a bit raspy probably due to swallowing the poison. Her eyes were a little watery but they were clear – a sign that Wanda really was going to be okay.

Daisy simply stood there, drinking in the look of Wanda being alive and her heart stuttered. She almost lost her. That piece of reality gripped her heart in a vice. It would always be a possibility that they’d die in battle considering their day job and lifestyle. They were prepared for that eventuality. However, it didn’t mean that they would be okay with it. The prospect of surviving without her was not something she wanted to imagine let alone living it. She was strong, above average one might say but she wasn’t strong enough to go through such lost again. Not in a long while.

“Daisy?” Wanda frowned. She already called Daisy’s name a few times but she was not responsive. So, she lifted her hand, a little trembling and laced her fingers with Daisy’s. She brought them to her lips, kissing the inside of Daisy’s wrist. That brought the brunette back to her. The Inhuman shook her head and sat next to Wanda.

The bench was quite closed up from the audience but it wasn’t fully secluded. However, it did give them a semblance of privacy. The others moved to other parts of the waiting area, giving them some space and privacy. They joined the crowd in watching Daisy’s victim being tended to by the medic.

Daisy brought her other hand up to cup Wanda’s cheek, brushing the soft skin there with her thumb. Wanda leaned her head into her hand, taking comfort from the nearness of her girlfriend. Daisy sighed as she closed her eyes and rested her forehead on Wanda’s. They stayed that way for a while.

“I’ll be fine.” Wanda whispered. Her tone was reassuring despite the near death experience she had less than an hour ago. Daisy’s breath hitched at that before she exhaled in relief. Her eyes opened and they looked into each other’s eyes.

She didn’t know what to say, too overwhelmed by her feelings. So, she wrapped one arm around Wanda, wanted to feel her nearer, to feel the beating of her heart and her soft breathing to ground herself that her love was not dead. Wanda reciprocated the hug readily. She too wanted the reassurance of being alive as well as to soothe the fears Daisy undoubtedly felt. There was no word needed. Everything was conveyed through that embrace.

Soon, they parted reluctantly as the officials called for the next round of fight. Daisy kissed her forehead, her lips lingering there for a while. She then told her to rest, if possible in their room. Maria or Natasha could stay with her while she rested.

Wanda however insisted to stay on that bench and watch the rest of the semifinal. Daisy knew that Wanda wouldn’t budge especially after the way Daisy snapped earlier. Wanda knew that the brunette also needed the Sokovian to ground her as her anger was still present albeit very minimal by then.

“Go. I’ll be fine.” Wanda’s voice was a bit stronger. That actually made her feels lighter.

Giving her one last kiss, Daisy stood and purposefully walked into the ring. She admitted that she was still feeling a little angry, although not as much as before. Her next opponent was a sorcerer with an expertise in summoning spells. He may have looked apprehensive towards Daisy. Her performance in the earlier round must have given a big impression on him.

He didn’t dwell on it for long as he began chanting right after the sound of the gong reverberated in the arena. The first thing he called forth was a golem. A stone golem. As if a golem could defeat her! She could simply vibrate the very construction of his being and poof – there was a small hill of rocks piled up on the platform. After the third golem, Daisy was feeling annoyed more than angry.

Then, he summoned a giant. She quake-punched the poor overgrown creature to oblivion. Seeing that all his hard hitter summoning didn’t even get a chance to hit Daisy, he summoned a real being – a real, honest to god big dog.

“A bulldog!? Really? How juvenile can you be?”

This caused a bit of a snag in Daisy’s plan, which was to destroy everything he called forth. Besides, she liked dogs, dammit! So, she resorted to another method. She’d try to recruit the dog.

Holding a staring contest with a vicious looking dog was not advisable. Moving nearer to said beast was reckless. Taking a beef jerky from one of her pouches (yes, she hid food in one of her many pouches on her utility belt – she did have a vacuum of a stomach after all) and waving it in front of the canine was suicidal. Or maybe not. It was a 50 – 50 risk to take, though almost everybody was leaning towards her pitiful end at the viciousness of the dog; her raw strength in earlier fight notwithstanding.

The crowd held their breaths, waiting for her to be attacked or worse, devoured by the dog. What happened next was unexpected. And the audience would remember the event for many years to come.

The dog sniffed her hand. Then, it seemed to feel satisfied enough that it accepted the food offering. After that, it licked her hand and nuzzled her stomach (probably sniffing for more of those jerky) before it sat at attention when Daisy tested giving him a command to sit. The Inhuman later gave a few other commands and asked him to do a few tricks most domestic dogs were trained with. Miraculously, the dog understood and obeyed her; and was rewarded with more treats. The two forged an instant bond right there and then.

The sorcerer’s slacked jaws opened even more at the unexpected turnaround. So, he commanded (again) the dog to attack Daisy. Unfortunately for him, the dog happened to like the woman and refused to follow his order. It probably abided by the _‘don’t bite the hands that feed you’_ philosophy. Apparently, food was enough bribery to bring it to the other side.

Incensed that his plan was not successful, the sorcerer summoned more golems and other beings like man-eating plants, goblins, trolls and some other creatures that the earthlings didn’t even recognize. She spent more time on destroying and knocking out what he summoned than on him. Yet, she beat his ass senseless between the brief lulls of summoning. Luckily, she had the dog to fight on her side now. It did help her to deal with some of them. The dog took to the task eagerly, probably thinking it was game time.

Then, the wizard even called forth a cat for goodness sake! It was cute and fluffy and looked harmless. But Daisy knew enough of alien species to believe that it wasn’t just any cats. She recognized it in an instant. She did have a flerken for a pet since she first ventured into space.

The cat didn’t even glance at the sorcerer much to the man’s chagrin. It simply sat there, ignoring everyone as it was lazing under the sun and grooming its furry coat. This only infuriated him further. Seeing that two of his summoning didn’t work out the way he wanted, he decided to call the big gun.

As he was chanting, the sky turned darker rapidly and heavy cloud appeared right above the stage. There was a black hole forming in the middle of it. It took a while and Daisy knew that she should just knock him out, but she had this curiosity (which had always become a source of debate with the others) and she just had to know what this new creature was.

It turned out the big gun arrived in the form of a dragon, a tiny dragon cub, which Daisy might say was in the middle of draconic tantrum when it appeared. Obviously, this was not the one he wanted. The man really didn’t learn his lesson. Animals were just not his fans.

The thing was, at the moment, they had to deal with the dragon before it attacked the crowds or worse, destroyed the place. The problem was she didn’t know how to do that. Its small stature betrayed the force of its fire breath. The good thing was the dragon only focused its attacks on the person who summoned it. Suffice to say, that day was just not a good day for the sorcerer.

Now, this wizard was just wasting Daisy’s time. It had been over 30 minutes since they started. She wanted to finish the fight soon so that she could drag Wanda to their room and forced her to rest. Having to tame the dragon was a new experience. Having three animal sidekicks was pretty awesome, if only the flerken would cooperate. And why must it sprawl on the same platform they were fighting?

She was sick of punching all those poor creatures. Therefore, a more effective measure had to be taken. One immediately shaped in her mind. She considered, dissected and fool proofed it as detailed as she could in the short time she had while the idiot sorcerer was dealing with the mythical animal.

So, she told the dog to nudge the cat and got it out of the way. That ought to get its attention, which it did. Although, the flerken ended up stretched near her feet. It was nice having the flerken trusted her enough to do that. However, it wasn’t the best of time to spend cooing at the cuteness of it all.

In the end, the round was won pretty much anti-climatically, with the sorcerer being swallowed by the flerken – dumped in wherever dimension within its stomach. She didn't have to do anything. The cat was probably annoyed his time under the sun was interrupted and decided to take care of the problem. Daisy’s stash of food on her person was later used as bait and peace offerings to the dragon, who happily latched to her shoulder like a limpet.

The problem that emerged later involved the three animals. Now that the sorcerer was gone, there was no one to send them back to where they came from. So, not knowing what else to do, Daisy led them to the waiting area. She would not let harm come to them while she faced her next opponents.

When they reached the bench, the dragon perked up and suddenly launched itself to Xellos, much to their wonder. To say that they were surprised was an understatement when Xellos smiled and opened his arms, accepting the enthusiastic hug. What shocked them more was that it could speak! What came out of its mouth was even more shocking.

“Papa!” 

“Hey there, sweetheart. What are you doing here?”

“Papa? Xellos, this dragon is your kid?”

“So, this is a Mazoku dragon?”

“A mazoku-dragon hybrid actually.” For once he didn’t give an ambiguous answer. Maybe a kid was all you need to extract real answers from him.

“You only have one hybrid child last time I saw. And she was not in dragon form.”

“Yep. Meet Xellia. She was in dragon form all the time for the first two years. If she was fully dragon, she’d need longer than that. By the time you met her, she could already transform anytime she likes.” He answered, smiling all the way. He was probably too happy to have his daughter with him that he willingly answered their questions.

Xellia looked up at the adults around her, eyeing them curiously. Then, her eyes lighted up as they landed on Daisy.

“Auntie Daisy!” she squealed happily and launched herself into the Inhuman’s hands. If it wasn’t for her quick reflex, the dragon girl may have knocked her off her feet. Daisy didn’t even have to hold her securely because the girl was squeezing the life out of her. “I knew I saw you. I thought I was dreaming.”

“Auntie Daisy?” Wanda was intrigued.

“Apparently her family likes Daisy so much, they basically adopted her.” Ramona explained. “Much to Xellos’ chagrin.” Now she grinned smugly.

The dragon looked at Ramona and her eyes lighted again.

“Hi, Auntie Ramona.” She almost pounced on the gypsy but Daisy held on to her. But Xellia did give a rough peck on Ramona’s cheek.

“Did you stop your rampage once you realised who I was just then?” Daisy asked her playfully. She nuzzled the scaly face.

“I was not on rampage.” Xellia insisted. The others simply raised their eyebrows. “I wasn’t! I was just confused. One second I was flying in the mountain, and then I was suddenly here.”

“You were scared, that makes sense.”

“Seeing a familiar face doesn’t hurt.”

Luckily, she was called to the world where her father was currently in. Plus the women she called aunts. Soon after, she transformed. Her draconic form changed into that of a beautiful, elven child – the human’s equivalence to a preteen who just happened to be a blonde with purple highlights. With similar colouring, no wonder she got along with Daisy, although hers was original – an attribute she inherited from her parents among other things.

“I supposed your mother doesn’t realise you’re gone then?” Xellos inquired, already suspected the answer.

“Mama would be so worried when I don’t come home for dinner.” She looked her father square in the eyes, her own was calculating. “You’ll explain to her.” She shrugged, to which, Xellos’ eyes twitched. He almost groaned aloud. His wife would be furious but relieved at the same time. Then, she would try to bash his skull, which would lead to an all-out fight where things went flying – his head as the target.

She might also transform into her dragon form because how dare Xellos endangered their daughter. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have a part in bringing the girl here. And that would lead them to have the fight deep in the forest near where they lived lest people would have more things to gossip about their household. But in the end, they’d make up and all was well again after some time of her coddling Xellia and giving Xellos the stink eyes.

“Okay, one problem solved. What do we do about those two?” Trip motioned to the dog and cat.

“This is a flerken.”

“She does look familiar.”

“By the collar on her neck, it’s someone’s pet.” Red Skull suggested.

So, they examined the collar and let out a collective sound of disbelief. There was a word inscribed on it – Goose.

“What the hell is Fury’s cat doing here?”

“What?”

“Didn’t you check the collar?”

“Not that you don’t know, but I was kind of busy back then. Checking some cat’s collar wasn’t as important as kicking some asshat sorcerer.” Daisy huffed. She really didn’t see it earlier. It was indeed Goose – Fury’s cat, who was supposed to be on Earth with Sharon Carter.

Apparently, the sorcerer called forth creatures that were related to them. An extremely lucky coincidence if you actually believed in that. No wonder he was pretty cosy with Daisy just then. Something about familiarity brought out the trust in someone. And Goose liked her company whenever they were in the same vicinity.

“Sharon must be really worried.” They asked Sharon Carter to catsit Liho and Goose before they left. Usually, Daisy’s pet flerken would be in the mix too if she didn’t plan to bring him with her. Currently though, Chewie was with her Inhuman friends traversing the space, purely by accident. In their haste to return to Earth before Thanos’ attack, they inadvertently left the cat behind on the Inhumans’ flagship, only to realize about his absence after the second jump. They were relieved that the fluffball was in safe hands from the message they received just as they were about to search the Zephyr for him.

“So, who’s going to take care of her?”

“She looks pretty cozy with you.” Ramona pointed it out to Trip.

“If you don’t want to mind her, we’ll just put her with Maria and Natasha.” The flerken’s ears twitched excitedly at those names. Daisy studied it, contemplating the reaction. She came to the conclusion that Goose really did like the couple. They did take care of her after Fury faked his death after all.

“You like Natasha, right?” Daisy addressed the cat. The others looked on amused with Daisy’s inclination to talk to pets as though they were people who could express opinions. Not that she was wrong. In their circle, their pets were mostly extraordinarily different. Some were of questionable origins.

What made them smiled was the way she carried on talking after the cat let out a loud purr and a soft nudge of her head to Daisy’s shin. She probably took that as affirmation of his fondness towards the Russian. After she died, the cat was a bit depressed though not as much as Liho. She wasn’t as active anymore and at times more cuddly than she usually was. She did live with her after all.

“Good. How about Maria?” The cat answered with a loud mewl and a total change in behaviour. She stood upright, ears pricked, her eyes were more rounded than almond-shaped, and pupils a bit dilated as if she was presented with his favourite food. They could see her looked around excitedly for the woman before she sagged, dejected at Maria’s absence. She must have missed the commander so much even after five years.

So, they all agreed to leave her welfare to Natasha and Maria. Daisy lifted her and showed where Maria and Natasha were sitting. That excited Goose so much that she actually leapt out of the brunette’s arms and ran towards the couple much to their surprise. Even the crowd around them was shocked too and they inched away from the small group, fearful of being swallowed by the cat. Daisy motioned for them to check the collar and they all saw the astonishment and joy radiated from the two women.

“Another problem solved. Now, what about the dog?” Trip brought them back to another problem they had on their plate.

They all looked at the dog who patiently sat by Daisy’s heels. It was a large male bulldog, who was playfully cozying up to the brunette. Just like with the flerken, Daisy talked to him and the dog responded animatedly to her.

Sometimes, they wondered if the Inhuman had another set of power where she could communicate with animals. However, that was not the case. There were instances where she was attacked by unimpressed animals. Or other times when she simply ran away in terror if it involved some slithering reptiles. If anyone could do that, it would probably be Wanda.

Wanda also seemed drawn to the dog. So, it was decided that the two of them would take him in, at least until they could return him to his owner.

“Do you have a name” Wanda pondered out loud. The dog seemed to understand her as he nudged her hand, showing the part of his collar that was right under his jaw. There was a writing on its underside.

“Lockjaw? Is that your name?” An excited woof, a wagging tongue followed by a rapid shake of his tail confirmed it. He was probably named after his enormous jaw.

And so, Team Zephyr expanded to include three more members, at least until they all returned to their respective homeworlds.


	35. Last One Standing

After they settled the placements for the additional members of their entourage, it was time for Daisy to get back on the platform. The fourth fighter from the opposite team was a lean and tall pretty woman with amazing teal hair. Apparently, these witches and wizards all had great and colourful hair. On the other hand, there was a grace to her that was lacking in her teammates. She also looked so young she still had baby fats on her face. It made Daisy wondered her actual age.

Contrary to her young age (the others doubt this as people could have a baby face but Daisy believed the witch was at least in her early twenties), her skills were not of beginner level. Not at all. That girl was an expert in Shamanistic magic and used the nature to her advantage. According to Xellos, it was quite similar to the type practised in his world.

Apparently, shamanistic magic did not draw power from a specific being or a group of beings, but rather from the basic elements that made up the world itself, the forces of nature. It was divided into five subcategories, according to the element each utilized – fire, water, earth, air and Astral. White magic like lighting and healing was sometimes pinned to this group.

The uses of shamanistic magic were quite numerous. The most powerful ones were offensive, but they also included spells for defence, convenience and transportation that no magic user could do without.

Ideally, the nearest example they had was Ramona’s preferred magical practice. It was just that in their world, it was often called elemental magic. Maybe she could ask the gypsy to teach her some basic spells after all of this was over. The healing ones would be very helpful.

Since Daisy had been training with Ramona for years, it didn’t take her long to defeat the witch. The fact that she was terrible in hand-to-hand was an advantage to the brunette. Therefore, all she had to do was dodge the witch’s magical attacks (she did give her a chance to attack for the sake of sportsmanship) and rammed her fist in her face. One punch was all it took to render the witch unconscious.

After that, she took on the fifth member of the rival team. For Daisy, this one was like looking in the mirror. It reminded her of a few months of wearing dark clothes and overly done just as dark makeup years ago. That dark emo styles was looking good on the witch although maybe not as good as on her. Daisy was not one to brag – except for her hacking skills – but during those months, she did rock the goth look.

This sorceress was an expert in spell casting and her specialty was black magic. According to Xellos, who was an expert in demonic and black magic, it derived its sources from demons and dark entities. The severity of this kind of attack could be expansive. So, this person could do a lot of harm if not fended properly.

The witch didn’t even try to get near her. She simply attacked from where she stood – some 20 feet away. Luckily, Daisy managed to put up her shield in time before she was hit by a spectrum of dark light heading her way. That reminded her of a resident who escaped the Fridge – Daniels, she believed his name was – who had this power called Darkforce. She wasn’t there when they apprehended him but there was video. His attack looked similar to the ones sent towards her.

When all her attacks were blocked by Daisy’s invisible shield, the sorceress went for her throat. Daisy immediately blocked her reaching fist and twisted her arm. She didn’t even fight. But she did struggle to escape her hold after she brushed Daisy’s knuckles and grabbed her gauntlet. The Inhuman had to admit that it was weird. Recalling that black magic users could put anyone they wished under their control, she let her go. She would not risk being someone’s puppet. She could block mind probe but not black magic.

When Daisy released her, she stood up and faced her smugly as if she knew something Daisy didn’t. In fact, she pulled out something from somewhere (Daisy wasn’t sure where because it was suddenly in her hand) and brushed her finger on the thing. Now that Daisy looked carefully, it was a basic doll. Why would she have a doll during a fight?

Daisy watched as the witch chanted a spell and once that was done, she bent one of the doll’s limb. But nothing happened. She did the same thing again and again, muttering in anger when what she expected didn’t occur.

“That’s impossible! How come nothing happened to you?” She screeched.

Now, Daisy was not stupid. She knew a voodoo doll when she saw it. Well more like after the witch performed a spell on the doll.

“Seriously? A voodoo doll?”

The witch took out a needle and poked the doll’s torso and bent one of its legs. Now that got a reaction but not from Daisy. Someone at the other team’s waiting area screamed in pain. This happened for a while until it dawned on Daisy.

“The more you attack the doll, the more pain your friends would be in.”

Apparently, the blood she swiped from Daisy’s knuckles and the hair she snagged from Daisy’s gauntlet belonged to her teammates. So, using voodoo doll backfired on her. Daisy didn’t waste any second. The moment the sorceress realised what exactly was happening, Daisy struck. It didn’t take much effort before the witch was knocked out.

Their last obstacle to the final was a sorceress who was an expert in martial arts, weapons and different types of magic. She infused them all in her attacks and did give Daisy a good workout. However, Daisy was a master martial artist and when the woman realised that no attack – physical and magical – could hit the brunette; she tried to mess with Daisy’s mind. As if the Inhuman needed more mental assault. Fortunately, Daisy was immune to such attack.

“Didn’t you realise? Mind manipulation is useless against me. I’m immune to that.”

They fought some more. The sorceress changed tactics and sent long distanced attacks using her magic. She manipulated the earth, forming an earthen wall around herself just as Daisy jumped towards her, causing the Inhuman to slam into it. Then, she assaulted Daisy with sharp spears made from mud and stones, with the wall stayed to shield her from Daisy’s attacks. All Daisy could do was evading the projectiles eager to find purchase on her person.

She could try to detect the vibrational frequency of the soil but it would take longer than she liked. Well, she could if she was in the mood to play around. However, right now, she just wanted to finish all this and get a good rest before the final. Besides, there were weapons aimed at her all the time. Therefore, using her vibrational powers would be best on shielding her from being an easy target.

So, Daisy leapt over the wall and ran towards her opponent. She landed inside; forcing the witch to undo her spell and those spears vanished a few inches before she was hit by her own attack. Her concentration on casting spells caused her a punch in the face and they resorted to hand to hand.

The force of Daisy’s attack proved to be too much for her and the witch conjured creeper vines to drag the Inhuman away from her. Trying to trap Daisy using the vines was futile as she simply ripped those plants apart. Then, she charged again.

The woman put up a wall of fire, which brought Daisy to a halt. She may have a thick skin but that was metaphorical. She wasn’t by any means fireproof. So, she took a few seconds to concentrate in extinguishing that flaming wall. This alarmed the sorceress and she began throwing fire balls in Daisy’s direction.

Daisy evaded balls of fire thrown her way pretty easily. When there were too many of them, she manipulated the air and snuffed the fire by depriving the area of oxygen. It in effect, caused the sorceress the trouble to breathe.

“None of your attack could harm me. I’m sure you’ve never heard of me before today. But if you do, you wouldn’t prolong this fight." A mock grave tone and a hint of sympathy laced her words as she let go of her invisible chokehold. The sorceress panted, gasping for fresh air. "The name’s Quake, by the way."

“I’ve never heard of you before today.” The witch admitted, which was a good thing. Knowing about her prior to the semifinal might be a better strategy but she couldn’t help but to think it was better not to know. Who knew what else this Quake chick could do aside from defeating them without much effort? She didn’t even break a sweat! It could affect their moral.

Besides, from what she gathered from the audience’s reactions since their teams faced off that afternoon, that woman didn’t always grace the rings in previous stages. Even the way the other team qualified to this stage was vague because there was no recording at all after the first 90 minutes of the quarterfinal. So, nobody really knew what she was capable of.

In her experience, Quake was a lot to take in and a lot more powerful than she let on. Her limited number of fights in this tournament might have been intentional – to be their secret weapon. Or the rest of Quake’s team was just that strong. Enough to reach this level for a first timer.

“Good for you.” Daisy said breezily. “But, as I told your colleague earlier, some people called me Destroyer of Worlds. Ever wonder why they call me that?”

The witch stiffened, anticipating Daisy’s monologue.

“I could disintegrate you and everything around us to nothing just by thinking about it.” That was a bit of an exaggeration. She still had to focus and look for the vibrational frequencies and then pinpoint her attacks. But it bumped her estimates a lot higher in other people’s eyes by having them believed she could do that solely by thinking about it.

“As a matter of fact, in another world, I did just that. Granted, I was trying to save it. Alas, it was cracked apart despite my best intention.”

The sorceress’ eyes widened a fraction at that and she sort of stumbled perhaps due to shock or fear. Heck, it could also because she stepped on an uneven surface. Whoever cared? She shuddered. If she didn’t die today, she would be very lucky and extremely grateful. Quake did seem like she had mercy. Her team was still alive, though the same thing couldn’t be said for her teammate who was swallowed by the cat.

After that, Daisy simply pounced and with a punch to her solar plexus, the sorceress bent over clutching her torso. Then, Daisy wrapped her arms around the witch’s throat, cutting off oxygen just enough to render her unconscious.

The officials quickly declared them as the winner and Team Zephyr was one of the tournament finalists. The crowd went wild as the reigning champion was finally defeated almost single-handedly by a girl in just a few swift attacks.

After toying with the one who poisoned Wanda, it didn’t take Daisy a long time to defeat the rest of the sorcerers. She no longer gave them the chance to execute too many moves, a drastic change from her usual way of fighting. She didn’t even use her power a lot except to shield herself and injected a bit of it into her hits that caused extensive damage to her opponents, except during the last round. Not that anybody knew what her power was. They were just stuck in amazement since Daisy stepped onto the platforms - the stage that was now in shambles courtesy of the magic users' attacks.

The team took a collective breath of relief when the last match ended without fatality – particularly on the enemy side. They even retrieved the sorcerer the flerken swallowed from whatever dimension he was sent to. No bribery or coddling needed to coax it to throw him back up. All it took was having Maria talked to her (more like ordered) and Goose vomited the unlucky man unceremoniously. She must have missed Maria so much that she did not want to leave her side since she jumped into the commander’s arms. Well, five years was a long time in between visits.

Even though they scored the spot in the final, a sombre mood tainted the victory a little. There was no way they could forget how Wanda almost died. Or how Daisy spiraled into a vengeful mode.

On the upside, Quake became a sensation over the course of five fights as she trounced her opponents in record time. What she did to the poison dude was talked about extensively and her prowess and ruthlessness were greatly admired and feared at the same time.

In the near future after the tournament ended, people realised that you just don’t mess with what’s hers and her people or you’d have your ass handed to you. And her name gained notoriety in many dimensions from then on. This was due to the narratives (often exaggerated) shared by those who were at the Arena as they were mostly originated from different worlds. And if someday an offworlder (particularly from a different world or dimension) came to Earth looking for Quake and her friends for some nefarious reasons, it was probably because of the fame they gained there.

Daisy and Wanda retired to their room immediately after the semi-final concluded. A very brief discussion of the team they’d face in the final was done in their room during dinner that they had early that day. Wanda was still quite ill. Ramona recommended full bed rest for the night. She also gave some herbal medications for her to take until she was fully healthy.

Heeding the gypsy’s advice, Daisy ushered Wanda to bed once everyone else had left their room. After she tended to Lockjaw the dog, she changed into a tank top and a boy short before she joined Wanda under the covers. Wanda scooted closer until her back was flush against Daisy’s front. The brunette kissed the back of Wanda’s head and wrapped her arm around her midsection. Wanda laced their fingers and brought them to her lips, kissing the back of Daisy’s hand before placing them near her hip.

Daisy just wanted to hold Wanda and to convince her that Wanda was alive and on the mend. She reflected on what happened that day. She still had this fear that everyone she loved and those who loved her back would die. Even though nothing like that had happened for many years since Coulson (pre-time travel) or even Lincoln if she wanted to be specific, she did lose May and Natasha at one point.

Just to show that maybe she was really cursed, she almost lost her other half a few hours earlier. Daisy couldn’t help but to blame herself – everyone she loved die or got hurt – no matter how ridiculous that sounded.

“I can hear you thinking. It’s too loud.” Wanda could imagine what nonsense that might be taking up place in her girlfriend’s mind. She knew her too well by now. “Are you blaming yourself?”

“Wh- what?” The Inhuman stuttered. Wanda squeezed their still laced fingers gently. Daisy sighed. “I couldn’t help but thinking that maybe they were right.”

“About what?”

“That I’m cursed. I only hurt those around me.”

“You are not cursed. You help people. You save lives.”

“But-”

Wanda took a deep breath and she exhaled softly. Not this again. So Wanda had assuaged fears, soothed guilt, coddled and cajoled Daisy this far and now that the endgame was in sight, they were not about to trip just because they hit a bit of a snag on the way there. Not only for the tournament or the bloody quest but also their relationship.

Wanda turned around and braced herself on her elbow. Her eyes were serious as she talked to Daisy.

“No. Listen to me. What happened today wasn’t your fault. We didn’t know the sorcerer would use poison or he would pour it into my mouth.”

“Wanda.”

“We didn’t know, okay. Not then and not what’s going to happen in the future. And Ramona can only do so much to help us prepare no matter how great a seer she is. Definitely not if she didn’t get any insight from the universe.”

“But what if you got hurt again?”

“I’m an Avenger. Fighting bad guys is what I do. I am bound to get injured one way or another.”

“I know. Rationally, I know that. It just that sometimes, my mind wanders and-“

“I know. I understand that. Don’t you think that I might feel the same way too?” Daisy frowned at that.

“If you recalled the first time I met the Avengers, I messed with their minds. What if I accidentally did that again or worst, I mess up my own minds?” Wanda still had that fears once in a while unlike Daisy who was very confident in the control she had over her own powers. At least, she didn’t have to convince the Inhuman regarding that.

“You wouldn’t do that. You have full control of your powers now.”

How typical of Daisy comforting her when Wanda was the one who wanted to reassure her. It made Wanda fall deeper in love with her. The love she felt for the Inhuman was overflowing. Wanda had never felt so strongly towards someone this way before. It was different from the love she had for her brother.

She knew in her heart of hearts that Daisy was The One she wanted to spend her remaining years with and beyond if afterlife really was a thing. So, having Daisy doubted the strength of their connection due to the recurring fears she had of being a death omen was not in accordance to her plan. As if she’d let that affect their relationship.

Wanda also knew Daisy could always relapse into this mindset. The psychological trauma of every fuck ups she had gone throughout her life might rear their heads at any time. So, she resorted to bare her soul to the brunette. Hopefully she would ingrain this in her brain that they belonged together no matter what happened.

She held Daisy’s face and kissed her. It was fierce. It was short. But it was enough for now because she needed that to sort the words in her mind. Wanda rested their foreheads together, her eyes full of love, bore into Daisy’s.

“Whenever I go down into dark thoughts, I’d recall your name, your face and your wits. Of how I love you just the way you are. How you treat me and how you’re always there for me. You’re my safe place, the one I’d run to. The woman who would protect me, do everything for me; and to whom I want to return the same gesture. The one I know would accept me for who I am – flaws and all. The person I want to come home to. You, Daisy Johnson, you are my home.”

There was a lump in Daisy’s throat. She was too stunned and overwhelmed with the rush of feelings at that declaration to be able to speak. She blinked to relieve the stinging in her eyes and cleared her throat.

“You’re my home too.” Daisy whispered. Her voice was a little raspy but it clearly conveyed her love in those four words.

“And keep it in that thick head of yours that nothing, not even a make-believe curse could change that.”

Daisy chuckled quietly and she cupped the back of Wanda’s neck, tugged her down gently and kissed her tenderly. It was not their usual passionate and hungry kiss. It was a conversation and a promise and she knew Wanda understood. They stayed awake a little while longer until Wanda yawned, comforted with the rhythmic beat of their hearts and she knew every moment of today will be indelibly imprinted in her mind.

Wanda rested her head in the crook of Daisy’s neck, brushing her lips on the exposed skin there, one hand draped over her stomach, their legs intertwined. She kissed her collarbone and the soft skin under her jaw. Whispering ‘I love you’, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

The sentiment was echoed by Daisy as she kissed her hair. Daisy waited until Wanda’s breathing had evened out before she gathered her closer and closed her eyes. The oblivion that greeted her was a welcome sanctuary after the day they had.


End file.
